City: How to have an eco-friendly holiday

The holiday season often comes with a lot of green-colored decorations, but the city’s Green Santa Clarita team is thinking about a different kind of green during this time of year.

“A lot of people don’t think about this during the holidays but if we take the necessary steps, we can all work together to create a more eco-friendly community,” said Laura Jardine, a city project technician.

Extra waste generated between Thanksgiving and New Year’s amounts to 25 million tons of garbage, or about 1 million extra tons per week, according to Use Less Stuff, which aims to help people conserve resources and prevent waste.

Here are some tips Green Santa Clarita has to share:

Reduce

„Consider LED lights. They use 90 percent less energy than traditional incandescent lights, stay cool to the touch and have a much longer life expectancy. „Place your holiday lights and decorations on a timer to conserve energy. „Carpool when going to holiday parties or events. „Instead of purchasing a gift, donate to a local organization in a friend or family member’s name.

Reuse

„Purchase rechargeable batteries for gifts that require battery power.

„Save and reuse gift bags, wrapping paper and bows. „Use your own reusable bags when shopping for gifts or food. „Donate unused, non-perishable food to the local food pantry.

Recycle

„Look for gifts made from recycled content. „Recycle cardboard packaging, seasonal catalogs, holiday cards and used wrapping paper. „Donate or recycle unwanted or non-working electronics, including computers, cell phones, tablets and televisions. „Make sure to recycle your holiday tree by placing it at the curb on your regular service day from Dec. 26 to Jan. 12. Remove all decorations, lights, tinsel and tree stands. Flocked trees will be picked up, but cannot be recycled.