by MJ Beatty

Created on: December 26, 2008

­­­­­­­The last few years have seen a dramatic increase in environmental awareness, and personal carbon-stamp reduction has made it onto New Years resolution lists country-wide. Get a head start on "greening up" your life by making wise decisions as you take down your holiday trappings and get ready for 2009.

What to do with all the wrapping? Don't just cram that pile of gleefully discarded paper and bows into a garbage bag, get in there and separate it. Make piles of boxes, wrapping paper, Styrofoam, ribbons, and plastics. Check with your local waste management program about which materials they recycle, then gather up those materials (usually plain paper, cardboard, and plastics with the triangle-shaped recycling symbol) and put them in the provided bin. Most local recycling programs don't take those Styrofoam packing peanuts that protect your gifts in the mail, but chances are there is someone in your area that does. Check online (Google "recycle Styrofoam [insert your town's name]") for business or agencies that accept donations of this material. Finally, roll up the ribbons and pull excess wrapping paper off of bows, and put them in a box to use on your gifts next year.

Your Christmas tree doesn't have to go into the landfill either. You can chop it up and use the branches for compost or mulch and the trunk for firewood once it dries. Or you can go to http://earth911.com/seasonal/green-your-holidays/ and type in your city to find a local Christmas tree recycler.

What about all those Christmas cards? They can be recycled along with the cardboard and wrapping paper, provided they are 100% paper. You can also store them with your holiday stuff for next year, and then cut out the colorful pictures to use as gift tags.

Unwanted gifts can be "recycled" into someone else's holiday present for next year, or returned to the store and exchanged for something more useful. You can also sell them on eBay (as long as the giver isn't an avid eBay user!), or donate them to a local Goodwill or Salvation Army store.

Finally, while your resolution to lighten your footprint is fresh in your mind, hit the post-holiday sales for bargain prices on 100% post-consumer recycled wrapping paper and cards for next year. By taking the time to follow these steps, you are giving yourself and your loved ones a very important gift: a clean, healthy environment for the future.

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