Free Gift Wrap Station at Geo Center
Shopping season is officially underway in Teton Valley as locals and visitors alike search for holiday presents, food to feed extended family, and winter sports gear. All this shopping adds up to increased waste. Did you know that Americans create 25 percent more waste between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and nearly double their waste right after Christmas? According to a study by the Center for a New American Dream, nine out of ten of us believe that the holidays should be about family and caring rather than “stuff”, yet we still plan on spending 11 percent more on holiday gifts this year than last year.
To counter waste this holiday season, Teton Valley Community Recycling (TVCR) is hosting a free, self-serve gift wrapping station at the Teton Geo Center located in the Driggs City Center. Stop in to use or drop off extra gift boxes, wrapping paper, or holiday cards. We’ll also take tree ornaments or unwanted 2022 calendars! (No bubble wrap, large boxes or garbage, please.)
Got gifts to wrap or ship? Come in and reuse the materials dropped off by others to cut down on your holiday waste and expense. While you are there, check out our TerraCycle drop off, Bags to Benches drop off, and holiday light string repair/recycle station!
With the generous help of Deb Grove, Guch Lombardi and Sabine Shannon of Sabine Soft Furnishing, we’re focusing on low waste reusable fabric gift wrap this holiday season. Try wrapping your smaller gifts in fabrics that can be used year after year. We’ve also got simple brown kraft paper (not recyclable in our county) from shipping which makes an attractive, low-waste wrapping option.
Contact Iris at tetonrecycling@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Low Waste Holiday Wrapping Tips and Tricks
- Use newspaper, kids’ art or other recycled paper to wrap your gifts. Most commercial packaging and wrapping paper cannot be recycled. Save all bows, ribbons, and large pieces of wrapping paper for future gifts.
- Save bubble wrap for next year, donate it to a local artist, Peak Printing, or pop the bubbles and recycle it with our Bags to Benches recycling program. (NOTE: Plastic bags and bubble wrap should be consolidated into one plastic bag for easier handling.)
- If new electronics were a part of your holiday, make sure you recycle your old electronics at the MakerSpace, with RAD Curbside, or at the Transfer Station. Used batteries can be dropped off at Broulim’s, Ace, Valley Lumber, or our TerraCycle sites and TVCR will recycle them for you.
- Even your holiday tree is recyclable! Drop it off at MD Nursery for free or the Transfer Station brush pile for $2, where it will be made into wood chips. Local goat farms and many others also love natural trees harvested from the forest. Remember to remove all lights and ornaments first! Real trees only, not artificial or trees with decorations still on.
- If you upgraded to more energy efficient LED lighting this year or have broken light strings, try to fix them at TVCR’s repair stations located at the Geo Center, Alta, Driggs or Victor libraries. If you can’t fix them, leave them for recycling at these locations or ACE Hardware or MD Nursery collection bins.
- Also recycle these items at the Transfer Station or with RAD: clean corrugated cardboard (remove all plastic and packing paper), paper (newspaper and office paper; NO packing paper and NO gift wrap), clean #1 & #2 plastic bottles without lids, glass, clean aluminum and steel cans. Gray board, plastic food containers, catalogs/magazines, phone books, and books are not recycled in Teton County, Idaho. You can bring glossy publications and all books to Jackson for proper recycling.
Start small and take one step at a time. Visit us at the Geo Center for your free wrapping paper and packaging and check out our great TerraCycle station for recycling additional waste!
Remember to contact TVCR’s text-line with any recycling questions or photos.
Text 208-557-1193. Or download the Recycle Coach app for instant detailed Jackson recycling information.
