More household waste is produced between Thanksgiving and New Years than any other time of the year - as much as six million additional tons. The 2.6 billion holiday cards sold each year in the United States could fill a football field 10 stories high. And then there are the mountains of gift-wrap, Styrofoam peanuts, Christmas trees and candy boxes that generally end up in the landfill. But it doesn't have to be that way. There are alternatives to highly packaged gifts and prepared food trays.

 Fran Pieri, director of education for the Pennsylvania Resources Council, says most cities will pick up Christmas trees for recycling. "Also, if you have woods behind you, you can put peanut butter on the pine cones and seeds and it can actually be a refuge for birds in the winter time," she adds.

The biggest trash generator is gifts, Pieri says.
"Some of the things people can do would be minimize on 'stuff' purchases - like big packages with extra packaging. Things like theater tickets and gift certificates do not require a lot of packaging. They are usable but don't create that environment of trash," she says.

 There are also plenty of environmentally friendly gifts available. One idea would be to give friends items that save energy - such as low-flowing shower heads and fluorescent light bulbs that use much less energy than candescent bulbs. Rechargeable batteries are an especially thoughtful gift for kids whose toys require batteries that are otherwise thrown away on a regular basis.

If you have your heart set on wrapping gifts, though, look to see if the paper you do buy is made from recycled paper. You can also purchase beautifully decorated gift boxes and bags (the dollar stores sell them).

"You just have to put ribbons on them and don't have to use all that wrapping paper," Pieri points out. The ribbon and box are both reusable. "And for children who want to wrap presents for parents, they can glitz up an already used brown paper bag."

 As people upgrade new computers and electronics this year, look into donating your old equipment to a non-profit that will refurbish it and donate it to a school or needy family, Pieri says. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection runs an e-cycling program, as well.

 Since packaging is among the biggest contributors to holiday trash, Pieri recommends avoiding gifts with "excess packaging."

 "Rather than using new tissue paper to wrap ornaments and things you don't want to break, reuse that same bubble wrap and peanuts," she says. "Also, plastic bags that you buy at the supermarket are great for wrapping ornaments or things that are breakable."

 It is certainly quicker and easier to serve prepared foods, but the containers they come in will be here forever if they aren't recycled. When you are entertaining this year, Pieri says, try to make dishes from scratch or ask people to bring just one dish that's homemade.

 Rather than toss out your holiday cards in January, Pieri suggests donating them to a nursery school or day care.

  "Kids cut out the pictures and glue them into a scene or a collage," she says. "I've used wrapping paper to make bowties on figures like a reindeer, so I'm not throwing it away but rather reusing it for an arts and craft project."

 And in order to save energy, consider writing out a shopping list, Pieri says.

"Plan your shopping trip. Head towards where you need to go and purchase as many products as possible the first time - instead of going back and forth to the store and wasting the gas because you forgot one thing."