EAST LONGMEADOW OFFERS RECYCLING TIPS TO RESIDENTS DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON

There are a few things that people tend to do a lot of over the holidays. One is the purchase of cards, gifts, wrapping paper and decorations. Another is throwing things away. Between now and the end of the year, for example, Massachusetts residents will buy:

· Nearly 70 million holiday greeting cards.

· About 1 million cut Christmas trees.

· Roughly $10 in packing materials and wrapping paper for every $100 they spend on gifts.

There are a number of ways to reduce the environmental impacts of all this holiday spirit, according to the commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

"With a little effort, each of us can make a big difference in reducing the holiday season's toll on the environment," said Commissioner Robert W. Golledge Jr. in offering a series of DEP tips for conserving resources and reducing waste over the holidays:

· Consider buying a live tree that you can plant in the spring, or one of today's life-like artificial trees. Either way, you'll help spare a tree from being cut down.

· Send electronic greetings instead of traditional holiday cards and recycle cards others send you.

· Use children's artwork, fabric, the Sunday comics or re-usable gift bags instead of single-use wrapping paper, and recycle the boxes and packaging from presents you receive.

· Save packing "peanuts" and bubble wrap to either reuse when shipping gifts next year or drop off at a collection center near you (call 1-800-828-2214 for locations).

· As you make room for new holiday treasures, consider donating old, unwanted toys, electronics and clothing to charity instead of throwing them away.

· Cell phones are likely to be a popular Christmas present this year. Remember that the Town of East Longmeadow collects old cell phones for recycling. Leave your old cell phones in the Selectmen’s office at Town Hall or at the Police Department.

For more information about the East Longmeadow recycling programs, please feel free to look at the East Longmeadow website at www.eastlongmeadow.org or contact the East Longmeadow Recycling Coordinator, Leon Gaumond Jr., at 413-525-5400. To learn more about buying green, reducing holiday waste and recycling as much as possible, visit Earth's 911 at www.cleanup.org.