Holiday Waste: What to Recycle, and What to Upcycle

It’s the new year, and it’s also time for the last of us to pack up our holiday decorations.

How much waste did you contribute to your local landfill this holiday season?

When you’re desperate to get the clean-up done, it’s easy to make bad decisions and just toss the lot, but if you can spare the time to be thoughtful, then there’s a lot of good that you can do with that holiday waste.

First, via our sister site Sustainablog, here’s a handy infographic of exactly what holiday waste you can recycle and, more importantly, what you can’t:

Now, to the fun stuff!

As you’re sorting through your stuff, making your tidy little piles of recycling, storage, and waste, keep an eye out for supplies that you can use to help you upcycle some of that holiday waste. Check out the following projects for ideas:

cave of stars. This epic playhouse uses the giant box that your biggest present came in and the twinkle lights that your kid is nowhere near tired of yet.

craft stash. Doesn’t some of that holiday waste really belong with your crafting supplies?

gift tags. Make next year’s gift tags from this year’s greeting cards.

gourd bangle. Is that decorative gourd still on the mantle? Take it down already and make it into some bracelets.

paintbrush. Got some little ones who’ve been dying to get their hands on the Christmas tree? Cut off several branches and set the kids up to paint with these natural paintbrushes.

paper beads. Wrapping paper and tissue paper make lovely paper beads.

tree blocks. Slice up the trunk of your Christmas tree to make natural building blocks for the kids.