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Department of Ecology News Release - Dec. 11, 2003
03-233
OLYMPIA - Colorful wrapping paper and decorative bags covered with ribbons and bows can be quite festive, but the result can be piles of colorful garbage. Add bulky boxes, packing peanuts and plastic wrap, and the holidays can create more packaging than presents.
The Department of Ecology is urging everyone to use less wrapping and remember to recycle and re-use what does come on holiday gifts.
The aim is to reduce the amount of waste going into landfills. Studies show 80 percent of goods wind up being consumed or disposed within six months of purchase.
"We want people to have a great holiday season and also look a little further than the gifts themselves," said Cullen Stephenson, who manages Ecology's solid-waste program. "Think about how purchases are packaged at the store and how gifts are wrapped in your home. Landfills are big, but eventually they fill up, so we can't ignore what happens to our garbage after we put it on the curb."
Suggestions for cutting back on extra waste include wrapping gifts in old maps or blueprints, newspapers, Sunday comics and kids' artwork. Just use a large bow for oversized gifts. To make the wrapping part of the gift, put kitchen utensils in a new dish towel, gardening supplies in a flowerpot or homemade cookies in a new cookie jar.
"Or better yet, think of gifts that don't have to be wrapped at all," Stephenson said. "Consider experience or service gifts that create lasting memories rather than lasting garbage."
Such gifts include tickets to a concert, movie, museum or sporting event. Money or time can be donated in another person's name. Creative folks can give gifts of their own time and abilities.
If wrapping paper is used, it should be recycled rather than burned. All wrapping paper can be recycled except the shiny, metallic kind. Many recyclers say there is no need to remove tape or gift labels, although local requirements may vary.
No matter how pretty it looks, experts say burning the paper in a fireplace or wood stove is a terrible idea. Smoke from burning paper is full of toxic fumes and carbon monoxide that will poison the indoor air.
In fact, burning paper is so dangerous it's illegal in Washington.
Burning paper outside in a burn barrel can result in warnings and fines -- not exactly a recipe for holiday cheer.
All paper creates toxins when burned, but the colored or glossy papers used to wrap presents have even more poison in its smoke. The inks and coatings are commonly made of plastics, toxic metals such as copper, lead and chrome, and other hazardous materials. When burned, these materials become tiny particles that lodge deep in the lungs. Poisons in the paper can damage nervous systems, kidneys and other organs, and could even result in cancer over time.
It is legal to use a small amount of paper to start a fire. But to protect your family's health, be sure it's plain, uncoated paper without any tape or ribbon attached, and burn as little as possible.
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Media contacts: Caitlin Cormier, public information manager,
solid-waste issues, 360-407-6149
Leslie Thorpe, public information manager, air-quality issues, 360-407-6848
Recycling information on the Web: http://1800recycle.wa.gov/
For information on outdoor burning: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/outdoor_woodsmoke/Outdoor_Burning.htm
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
