SPOKANE, Wash. – With the holiday season generating more than 25 million tons of extra garbage nationwide, Spokane families are taking steps to reduce their waste.
The Environmental Protection Agency reports this spike in garbage occurs between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.
The Smith family, busy with three kids, foreign exchange students and in-laws, finds this time of year particularly wasteful.
“I feel like this time of year for sure…we have kids and a lot of events and hosting…it’s just almost inevitable,” Jared Smith, the father, said.
To address this, the City of Spokane is offering advice to help families like the Smiths reduce waste.
“It’s not just a matter of how we dispose of things, it’s really reducing the amount of waste we have across the board,” Kirstin Davis from the City of Spokane said.
One suggestion is to buy fewer physical gifts and instead consider experiences that create lasting memories.
“Our kids remembered when we went to Mexico for Christmas a few years ago… That’s what they talk about, they don’t talk about the gifts really,” Ashlynn Smith, the mother, shared.
Another tip is to choose gifts with practical uses.
“This year we’re going on a cruise in January so we’re getting them things for the cruise,” Ashlynn said.
The city has also created a “naughty or nice” recycling list to help residents understand what can and cannot be recycled.
“I like to try to recycle, but I feel like I then look over the bins like it’s multiple choice,” Ashlynn mentioned.
For those feeling creative, repurposing items is another option.
“So like he got Monster Trucks for Christmas then we made the garage out of the boxes, so we wouldn’t throw them away,” Jared explained.
