The holiday season is fast approaching and as it comes closer, it’s time to think about shopping sustainably. Recycling data commissioned by the Paper and Packaging Board shows nearly 66% of Americans report feeling guilty about the extra waste during the holiday season. To address this guilt, 55% say using paper products reduces this guilt with 30% planning to recycle more frequently during the festive season. In addition, Americans who always or frequently recycle say they are doing their part to save the planet (88%).
Despite this sentiment, many Americans still do not fully understand the basics of recycling. In fact, 49% of Americans don’t know how boxes should be cleaned out of or that they should be broken down for pick-up, 46% don’t know where to drop off recycling and 44% don’t know their own specific recycling days.
Wrapping paper with embellishments like foil, glitter and cellophane, cannot be recycled.
Ecommerce sales are predicted to increase 9.5% this year, reaching over $266 billion dollars.
Each year in the U.S., approximately 1.6 billion holiday cards are sold. Many of these are recyclable.
How do we shop with sustainability in mind?
An October 2021 Insider Intelligence report predicts there will be a 14.4% increase in online purchasing as part of overall holiday retail shopping. This is partially because stores like Walmart, Target and Best Buy announced closures during Thanksgiving, driving more of us to shop online and shop early this year.
With the surge in online retail shopping, consumers should plan ahead and start their holiday shopping earlier this year. This helps forego anticipated shipment delays that are caused by constraints across global manufacturing facilities and supply chains.
Choose paper - the most renewable, sustainable resource
When shopping for gifts online, you can make a major environmental impact by choosing paper packaging products. 70 million recycle more frequently during the holidays and the best way to be a part of that number is to ensure that your gifts are wrapped and boxed in paper packaging products because paper and paper packaging are the one of most recycled materials in the U.S.
Recycling Tips
Once you’re done unpacking all your gifts from those shipping boxes, remember:
- Empty packaging and boxes, removing all excess paper, products and other materials
- Flatten the box by breaking it down at every corner
- Recycle the cardboard and paper materials
New to paper recycling? Look to your local municipality or recycling location to learn more about your community recycling guidelines.
Learn more paper recycling tips.
