Organic Gift Baskets and Holiday Recycling

Ah, tis the season for giving and getting. Of couse, we hope you will consider sharing the healthy and tasty difference of organic gift baskets from America's Best Organics, which are filled with delicious treats from across the USA. But whatever gifts you choose, there are ample opportunities to be a recycling or reuse guru. Here are some helpful tips for common items we each encounter.

Batteries: Unusable Rechargeable Batteries can be recycled at Best Buy, Radio Shack, Batteries Plus, and Office Depot. Remember batteries leach harmful elements such as cadmium and mercury so be aware and do not throw in regular trash.

Paper Shopping Bags can be reused as a gift bag. But if too worn, recycle with your corrugated cardboard. When you recycle these kinds of bags, be sure to remove non-paper handles (like string) and metal grommets.

Brown Paper Bags can be cut and turned inside out allowing kids or you to decorate and use as wrapping paper. Or they can be reused again for bringing home groceries. If you don’t reuse it, then please recycle with your corrugated cardboard.

Corrugated Cardboard boxes can be recycled even if they have large staples or shiny graphics.

Packing Peanuts can be taken to packing and shipping service stores to be reused. A great feel good solution to a material that lives a long time in our landfills.

Gift boxes from Best Organics can be reused to hold crayons for your children’s play area, or to hold all manner of things neatly stored in this sturdy box. Or use it as a gift box again. We would much rather see it reused in some creative way than tossed. But if you do throw it out, please recycle like you would a cereal box.

Holiday Greeting Cards are recyclable except for those made from or embossed in foil or other non-paper materials. To recycle remove those materials. To be extra clever and creative, reuse cards next year as gift tags or place setting cards.

Wrapping Paper – check with your local recycling center to see if they offer a special program for wrapping paper.  Save and store ribbons, bows and wrapping paper in good shape to be used next year before recycling.

We hope these are useful tips. We appreciate EcoCycle.org for the education and outreach on good practices such as these we have shared. And thank YOU for taking care of tomorrow by keeping your waste to a minimum. Simple steps that when you choose to do them, feel good. It is nice to know we can all be part of the solution. Do good for our home planet. Thank you for caring. Happy Holidays.