Have you ever seen a trash truck driving down the street with a teddy bear attached to its front grill?  It's the last ride for an icon of childhood, plucked from someone's discarded belongings, on its way to the landfill to join the piles and piles of other rejected objects and trash.  In this holiday season of gluttonous parties, new toys, excess plastic packaging and trash bags full of colorful paper perhaps we should all take a moment to think about that Teddy Bear's last ride, and how many of our new belongings or excess food will join the trash truck on its journey to polluting our earth a little more.

One truck driver, Mike Street, says that placing an object on the grill of his truck often times helps him get in the holiday spirit. "This year I have a reindeer stuffed animal…I like to think I'm Santa and the truck is my sleigh."  However, Street drives his truck for Revolution Recovery, a recycling company in Philadelphia, so while he is not Santa Claus, he is not driving his waste to empty in a landfill, adding to the abundant trash that pollutes our Earth.  Street comments, "I prefer driving a recycling truck over one that goes to a landfill because trucks that take materials to a landfill are wasting the resources available that could be reused to help sustain our planet." 

It's a time for joy, so delving into the problems of the world isn't something everybody wants to cloud their holiday spirit with, however ignoring these problems won't make them disappear – and like the Teddy Bear (or stuffed reindeer) very well knows, throwing something away doesn't make it disappear either.  So what can you do? 

First, decorating your house usually starts with the tree, but first think about what to do with that tree after it's fulfilled its destiny for the few weeks holding up your lights and ornaments.  Figure out a plan now for how you will recycle your tree after the decorations come down and this will much better ensure the follow through after the holidays are over.  Better yet, if you have a yard, know someone who has a yard, or even a park or school that could benefit, purchase a living tree that can be planted after the holidays are over.  Here is a way to actually benefit the Earth with our holiday celebrations rather than add to its waste.

Now, when it comes to bringing joy to your family and friends with the gift of gifts, try thinking literally outside the box when considering your purchases this year – how many people need another trinket or toy?  How many of those trinkets will face Teddy's fate of the landfill in a few years? Now, think about how many people would benefit greatly from a gift certificate for a session by a local masseuse, cooking lessons by a private chef, or dance lessons for the shy couple?  All of these ideas require no packaging to throw away, and all help support local businesses rather than large corporations promoting excess. 

If physical gifts are more your thing, how about a living herb garden for the kitchen to add flavor to food as well as improve air quality within the home?  Or visit the local consignment shop to find antiques, decorations, blankets, furniture, clothing, flatware and a myriad of other treasures.  Reusing other's belongings not only supports a local business, it means giving a beautiful, thoughtful gift that doesn't need the layers of plastic to protect its shiny, new exterior. 

Lastly, in this day and age excess is almost unavoidable, and we of course need to have a backup plan for the waste we do come across in this, and any season.  Set up an area of your house designated for recyclables – those that can go to the curb, and those that cannot but need a little extra effort to recycle.  Street, the recycle truck driver suggests reusing the boxes received as presents and recycling used wrapping paper instead of throwing it away.  For the materials you're not sure what to do with, there are centers that will take pretty much anything and find a way to recycle or reuse it – so take a moment now to look into those centers in your area and designate what you can recycle and where.  Places like Revolution Recovery in Philadelphia are happy to help keep excess materials out of landfills, and a simple drop off at their facility will guarantee that your old belongings, furniture, renovation waste, cardboard boxes, etc. will not end up joining Mr. Teddy Bear in the fields of trash polluting our Earth.

It's not always easy to sacrifice convenience for the good of the planet, but a little planning ahead and creative thinking during this holiday season can reap rewards for you and the planet not only now, but all year long and for years to come.  Hopefully some of these ideas will make it a little easier for you this holiday season.