Celebrate Smarter: Reduce Holiday Waste
December 1, 2025
The holiday season is a time for joy, connection and giving back — it’s also one of the most wasteful times of the year. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, household waste increases by about 25% between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, about an extra 1 million tons of waste per week nationwide.
Every gift and decoration choice contributes to the community’s waste footprint. Reducing waste conserves natural resources and landfill space and cuts greenhouse-gas emissions. Choosing sustainable options helps keep Rockville cleaner and greener.
Simple Ways to Celebrate Sustainably:
Buy Local: Support the local economy by visiting local artisan shops, farmers markets and craft fairs. This helps reduce transportation emissions and decreases carbon footprint.
Give Experiences: Memories last longer than packaging. Gift someone a cooking class, concert tickets, or a park or gym membership.
Gift Greener: Consolidate online orders to cut down on shipping materials.
Give Back: Donate, volunteer or purchase a gift subscription to a community-supported agriculture farm’s seasonal harvest.
Recycle Right: Use reusable bags or fabric wrapping, avoid metallic or glittery paper that cannot be recycled, and compost food scraps where possible.
Visit montgomerycountymd.gov/giftgreener to learn how to “Gift Outside the Box.”
Practical Hosting Tips:
Plan meals based on realistic guest counts and portion sizes, freeze leftovers and donate extra food.
Decorate mindfully. Choose LED lights rather than incandescent, reuse ornaments, avoid disposable decor.
Wrap smart. Pull out previously used boxes, reuse shipping boxes, wrap in cloth/fabric.
When cleaning up, separate recyclables properly (avoid “wish-cycling”) and compost food scraps where available.