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According to Eco-cycle, the majority of people will create 25% more trash during the holiday season. But there are easy ways for you to stay green this holiday season and cut down on waste.

Eco-cycle is one of the largest non-profit recyclers in the United States. Their website has many tips and guides that can make your holiday greener. Here are a few tips they suggest:

• Reuse holiday greeting cards by turning them into gift tags or place-setting cards for the next year.
• Bring your packing peanuts/bubble wrap to your local packing store (UPS) for them to be reused. You can also save them for your own packing needs.
• Look for wrapping paper made from recycled materials so they can be recycled again. Most wrapping papers have a laminate finish or tape making it hard to recycle. Check with your municipality to see if you can recycle wrapping paper with a glossy finish or shine.
• Use rechargeable batteries to cut down on the amount of alkaline batteries thrown away.
• Use LED holiday lights to save money and energy while decorating your home or business. *Check out our Go Green post on LED holiday lights here.

You can check with your municipality to see the list of holiday items you can recycle.

If you are looking to recycle your old electronics, there are several places where you can drop off items. Best Buy and Staples will recycle many electronics and home appliances. To see their full list, visit www.bestbuy.com and www.staples.com.

Pennsylvania’s department of environmental protection provides a list of locations you can recycle electronics in Lackawanna County. Visit www.dep.pa.gov and click on Electronics Collection Programs.

You can access all of these websites on the computers upstairs in the reference department. All you need is a library card.

To read more articles on how to go green with the library, type the “Go Green” tag in the search box at the top of the page.