The easiest way to cut back on what you’re throwing away is to reduce the amount of stuff you bring home in the first place, and a good place to start is with product packaging. After all, packaging makes up 30 percent of America's trash — the largest portion of municipal solid waste generated.
It might seem overwhelming (perhaps even downright impossible) to do package-free Christmas shopping, but there are ways to cut back on unnecessary packaging. Look for retailers that offer package-free products, such as <a href="http://lush.com/">Lush</a>, which sells handmade vegetarian soaps and cosmetics that come wrapped in paper instead of bottled in plastic. Shop at local stores where you can buy unpackaged goods, purchase used items from thrift shops, or check out listings on sites like <a href="http://craigslist.org/">craigslist</a> and <a href="http://www.freecycle.org/">Freecycle</a>.
Jen Rustemeyer of <a href="http://cleanbinproject.com/">The Clean Bin Project</a>, a self-taught expert when it comes to less-wasteful shopping, says avoiding excessive packaging just takes practice. “I tend to shop at local shops and craft fairs, and I keep an eye out in secondhand shops for new condition items. There are some great eco shops like <a href="http://lifewithoutplastic.com/">LifeWithoutPlastic.com</a> that sell cool eco-alternatives, and you can get like-new secondhand books from Amazon. I also look for items that I can get just wrapped in paper — and I always shop with a cloth bag."
Prefer to do all your shopping online? Before placing an order with a company, find out what kind of packaging it uses. If the website doesn’t provide that information, contact the retailer — the company might be willing to ship your items in a more eco-friendly way if you ask. Buying online might even be the greener choice. For example, Amazon.com offers <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200285450&tag=thehuffingtop-20">frustration-free packaging</a> on some of its products, which means the item is sent to you in a recyclable box that’s free of materials like plastic clamshells and wire ties.
“Online retailers offer an interesting sustainability opportunity because they do not need to rely on packaging to market a product, and therefore they may be able to forgo some packaging without any loss of benefit,” says Adam K. Gendell, project associate at the <a href="http://www.sustainablepackaging.org/">Sustainable Packaging Coalition</a>.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com">Flickr</a>:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30223382@N06/3437904964">Debs (ò‿ó)♪</a>
