Not only will you be helping to save the environment, you'll be saving your sanity next year when you don't have to untangle the light strings. If you're planning to shop the after-Christmas sales for next year's wrappings, consider buying paper with a recycled content. In this age of online and catalog shopping, most of us have stacks of shipping cartons left over after the holidays. Luckily, most are reusable, though storage space can be a problem. One option is to collapse the boxes for storage, then revive them when you need them with new packaging tape.
Someone's always moving or sending a parcel, it seems.
Packing peanuts are another space-eater, but don't just toss them into the trash. If you can't reuse them, return them to a business that can, Brown urges. Some stores even offer discounts for customers who return packing materials, the Cygnus Group notes. At the very least, don't pitch those peanuts until you've checked whether they're biodegradable, Brown says. Corn-based peanuts can be sent down the drain rather than taking up landfill space, he says.