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ENGL-320

Theresa Fishman

Sabrina Paller

30 October 2019

Save on Waste This Christmas with Three Easy DIYs

Christmas is here again. You open a box of lights to decorate the tree, only to find that

half of them don’t work. So into the trash they go. You pull out the ornaments. You notice that

several were broken during the transportation from storage to the living room. As you begin to

decorate, one falls to the floor and shatters into a thousand pieces. Into the trash they go. Guests

come and visit for the holidays, going through more toilet paper than you had thought possible,

leaving lots of empty toilet paper rolls. Into the trash they go. Old fruit, wrapping paper, and

ribbons all follow and the trash begins to swell. What if there was a fun way to reduce on waste

without taking up too much time or getting rid of those Christmas things you love?

Fortunately, there is. With these three easy Christmas ornament DIYs, you’ll be able to

reduce on waste this Christmas and spend some time getting into the Christmas spirit. At the end,

you’ll be able to sit back and enjoy all of the memories that you’ve made and the Christmas tree

that is uniquely your own.

NUMBER ONE

Recycle toilet paper rolls, leftover wrapping paper, and bits of ribbon. These items are easily

found around the holidays. Who knows what to do with awkwardly shaped bits of wrapping

paper or a ribbon that’s too short to go around a gift? It’s simple. Cover the toilet paper roll with

the wrapping paper, leaving about two inches of wrapping paper hanging over both sides. Tie

two small pieces of ribbon around the wrapping paper, just next to the opening in the toilet paper
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roll, leaving about an inch and a half of the wrapping paper sticking out. Make a bow if there is

enough ribbon, or just tie it securely if not. Using another bit of leftover ribbon, make a loop,

then, using tape or hot glue, secure the ribbon in the middle of the now wrapped toilet paper roll.

Find a good spot for it on your tree, and enjoy!

NUMBER TWO

Recycle fruit that has gone bad. Fruit is in abundance at Christmas time, but it often gets thrown

away after sitting on the counter for too long. Apples, pears, lemons, limes, and oranges all make

great decorations on a tree though, so they don’t need to be wasted. After everyone has decided

that the fruit is too soft or too old to be eaten, pick which ones you want to hang on your tree,

then slice them into thin pieces. Place them on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper then bake

them at 200 degrees for roughly two hours. Flip them every half an hour or so to ensure that they

bake evenly. Once they are well dried and don’t contain any more juice, pull them out and allow

them to cool. You can add a little or a lot of glitter as desired, or leave it in its natural, well-baked

state. If necessary, use a pair of scissors to cut a small hole into the fruit. Then, insert a ribbon, tie

the ends into a bow, and add it to the tree.

NUMBER THREE

Use burnt out light bulbs. The holidays are a perfect time to finally getting around to replacing

those old light bulbs in the house. Once they have been gathered, paint them. Use whatever paint

you have available, but know that you may have to go over it a couple of times if it’s a

watercolor. Be creative, paint whatever you want: reindeer, snowmen, wreaths, Christmas at the

beach, the baby’s footprint. Once you’re finished and have let it dry, cover it with a layer of

modge-podge so that it won’t chip off in the future. Then, tie a ribbon around the metallic part of

the light bulb. Some hot glue may help it stay in place. Finally, add this to your tree, and enjoy
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your handiwork.