In the heart of Detroit, Campus Martius is glowing in holiday spirit with flashing lights of red and green.  Thousands of people in the city celebrate the season with decorations, gifts, and lots of food. 

But with that holiday cheer comes a lot of avoidable waste. Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, the average American generates 25% more trash. In 2017, a study showed that nearly one-third of people who accepted a gift they didn’t like threw it in the trash. And retailers are estimated to discard nearly a quarter of their returns to landfills. 

There are many ways to celebrate the holidays while minimizing your footprint. Here are five ideas for greening up your Detroit holiday.

Reduce light pollution 

Light decorations are a popular way to be festive during the holidays. In the city, there are many holiday lights, contributing to Detroit’s status as one of the most light-polluted metropolitan areas in the world. 

Research suggests that light pollution, especially at night, can cause negative health effects like increased risk of sleep disorders, depression, obesity, and even breast cancer. Light pollution also impacts wildlife like birds, which use stars to navigate. Many birds, like the Snow Bunting and Snowy Owl, migrate into the state during winter. Bright lights make the stars hard to see, causing the birds to experience disorientation and slam into surfaces. 

Increasingly, states and cities are passing legislation to limit light pollution. Ann Arbor passed an ordinance in 2021 limiting outdoor decorative lights between midnight and 6 am.

So what can you do? Use some restraint with decorative lighting — a little can go a long way. Opt for warm amber tones as opposed to harsher green and blue. And turn off the lights at night.

Green your (wrapping) game 

Wrapping paper can make gifts look beautiful, but a lot of times, it’s not reusable. Around 2.3 million tons of wrapping paper is thrown out annually in the U.S. 

Recycle Here! is Detroit’s official drop-off recycling center for residents to recycle and collect recycled materials. Since opening in 2007, the facility has recycled over 36 million pounds of materials.  

Matthew Naimi, director of operations for Recycle Here!, says the center sees an increase in glass and cardboard boxes coming to the facility during the holiday season. They also see an uptick in newspaper dropoffs.

“The greenest, smartest people use newspapers to wrap their gifts because traditional wrapping paper is not recyclable,” Naimi said. 

He adds that it’s important for people to understand that the greenest decisions are often to not use something instead of hoping for a labor- and energy-intensive process like recycling to support their unsustainable decision-making.

Unused boxes or jars also make more environmentally friendly wrapping options. Local stores like Joy Thrift in Hamtramck and JR’s Place in Warren are a few places to find those items. 

Embrace upcycled gifts 

Re-useable items are a great way to give green – think gifting an old bottle as a vase. There are plenty of “reuse” businesses across the city that sell used or recycled art and creative supplies.  in 

With over 12 tons of recycled materials, Detroit nonprofit Arts and Scraps provides endless opportunities and ideas. 

Stevie Baka, Arts and Scraps store manager, says the organization often gets items like Christmas decorations and holiday cards during the holidays. They also carry items like wrapping paper, fabric, and boxes. Baka says many people will make Christmas trees out of the materials they gather.

“There is literally almost nothing that I want that I can’t find,” Baka said. “There is such an opportunity to give an item another life.”

Baka says upcycling a gift requires more attention and care than just going to a store and buying something. Arts and Scraps also receives vintage items like board games and puzzles.

Walking Lightly is Oakland County’s first zero-waste store and a refillery for items ranging from body wash and laundry soap to herbs and dried goods. Located in Ferndale, it’s a great way to bring in an old jar and repurpose it. Walking Lightly also offers local delivery. 

Thrift stores are another way to upcycle gifts. Vintage Eastern Market and Mama Coo’s Boutique in Detroit are a few places to find items to upcycle. 

Gift a local self-care service 

Many people are busy and forget to care for themselves during the holidays. Gifting someone a self-care service can be a way of giving someone some self-care while helping support local businesses. 

One idea is a service like Heavenly Hands Massage and Acupuncture, a mobile spa service that can come directly to your home, office, or anywhere you’d like to relax in the Detroit area. They provide a variety of massages, from deep tissue to lymphatic drainage.

Everyone knows someone who is so busy that cleaning their home falls by the wayside. A Clean House By Suzanne offers deep cleanings and move-in or move-out cleanings. They service areas in Oakland, Wayne, and Macomb counties. 

A manicure or pedicure at Polished Lounge in downtown Detroit can also make a great gift this holiday. The salon also offers deluxe services like sugar scrubs and mask treatments. 

Cut food waste 

Big holiday meals can create a lot of extra that goes to the landfill too often. In the U.S., 40% of waste is from food. During Thanksgiving and Christmas, that amount rises by 25%. Much of this waste comes from uneaten holiday leftovers and supermarkets throwing out food. 

Paul Green is the development director for Make Food Not Waste, a Detroit nonprofit working to keep food from landfills. He says about half of the food waste this time of year comes from individual homes. 

Green says planning your menu is the first step in reducing holiday food waste. Knowing how many people you will be serving, what people will eat, and guests’ food allergies is important. Green says shopping at local markets helps reduce food waste because they are more careful with how much food they get.

Reusing your leftovers is also important. He adds that remaking them into something else can help if you don’t like leftovers. 

“Let’s say you have mashed potatoes and maybe some eggs or breadcrumbs; you can shallow-fry it, and now it’s a croquette,” Green says. “Or you can make latkes for Hanukkah.” 

He says careful storage and organizing your fridge so you don’t forget items are also important. 

If you have so much food that you don’t know what to do with it, Green suggests knocking on your neighbor’s door, as we never know when people around us may be in need.

A compost bin is another great way to reuse your food waste in next year’s garden. 

Green says keeping food out of landfills not only feeds people who don’t have access to food but also improves local air quality.. Last year, he says, Make Food Not Waste diverted 100,000 pounds of food and prevented 60,000 pounds of methane emissions that would be produced by food waste.