A SecondLife (NAPSA)—Thereis a surefire way to have your holiday gifts keep on giving—recycle. It’s estimated that Americans generate some four million extra tons of trash between Thanksgiving and NewYear’s alone. Americans use 38 thousand miles of holiday ribbon each year —enough to tie a bow around the Earth! Industry experts from Waste Management would like to remind consumers that the holidays are no time to take a holiday from recycling. For example, Americans mail more than twobillion new holiday cards every year. Why not use these cards in crafts projects, instead of forwarding them to the nearest landfill? Or consider sending someholiday e-mail messages. The same goes for the estimated 38 thousand miles of holiday ribbon used each year. That’s enough ribbon to tie a bow around the Earth. Instead of holiday gift wrap and ribbon, use reusable gift bags or plain, oldfashioned newspaper comics when you wrap. Another way you can give the earth a gift this holiday season is to use china at your holiday gathering instead of paper plates. And don’t forget to add your holiday scraps to the compost heap. When the holidays are over, think about recycling your Christmas tree into landscape mulch, compost or a wildlife habitat. See if your community offers curbside pickup or convenient drop-off locations, or contact your local conservation and wildlife clubs that might want the trees for wildlife habitats. Let the three Rs be your guide this holiday season and all year round—reduce, reuse andrecycle. To learn more, visit the Web site at www.wm.com.
