Julie Maurer: Before you shop until you drop, keep waste reduction in mind

Posted by Admin December 21, 2024 Shopping

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Julie Maurer
| Lenawee County Solid Waste Program Coordinator

The holiday season is upon us, and with it, shopping trips! And whether you are up at the crack of dawn to grab the best deals or clicking “add to cart” in your PJs, there are ways to keep waste reduction in mind when shopping for gifts. Taking just a few moments to stop and think before you shop can go a long way toward lowering what you send to the landfill.

We’ve compiled a list of things to keep in mind while looking for gifts.

Make your list, check it twice

This is not just for Santa. Sitting down and making out who you are shopping for and a general idea of what you would like to get them can help prevent you from overbuying at the store or online. It is so easy to get bedazzled by cool merch and big sales, and we often end up buying stuff that we don’t need or can’t use.

Shop second hand

Our community is blessed with plenty of thrift stores, consignment shops, and other places where you can get gifts that are perfect for someone you love. Not only do they often come with a lower price tag, but buying used is giving a second life to something that would otherwise be tossed in a landfill. You can feel doubly accomplished!

Shop local

There is a big push this time of year to support local businesses because they are an important part of our communities — but shopping small also has an impact on the waste you produce. Packing materials and shipping boxes add so much to your trash and recycling pile. Why not skip those while also supporting your local community?

Craft shows also are abound this time of year — why not take advantage? Not only does it support local crafters, farmers, gardeners, etc., it helps reduce waste by not coming in a lot of non-recyclable packaging like plastic wrap.

Go prepared

If you know you are heading out for a marathon shopping day, or even just a short shopping trip, there are a few things you can do to reduce waste that day:

Bring reusable shopping bags so you don’t have to get new non-recyclable plastic bags at each store.
Put a storage bin in your car to hold your items so you don’t need a bag at all.
If they have an e-receipt option, choose that rather than getting just another piece of paper you’re going to toss.
Try to buy gifts that don’t come in a lot of non-recyclable packaging, or much packaging at all.

Ship small

Rather than buying stuff locally, wrapping it, then shipping it out to your loved ones — consider reducing your amount of waste when long-distance gifting this year. You can do this by gifting experiences, such as passes to their favorite place, like a zoo or museum. Gift cards may seem like an impersonal gift, but they aren’t really when you take the time to know what local place they like to frequent. Most places have an option online for ordering gift cards or they can do it over the phone.

All these things may seem like only small ways to reduce waste, but if we all do our part this holiday season, the landfill will get a little less trash from our festivities.

— Julie Maurer is the coordinator of the Solid Waste and Materials Management Program for the Lenawee County Health Department. She can be contacted at 517-264-5263 or via email at julie.maurer@lenawee.mi.us.