A Message from the City of Calgary

Repurpose, reuse and get creative to reduce your waste this holiday season. Here are some ideas for gift giving that are low on waste but highly meaningful:

· Support local businesses by purchasing gift cards or giving the gift of an experience.

· Give a gift in the form of a donation to a favourite charity.

· Give the gift of time. Lend a hand to an older relative or friend by dropping off their shopping or meals or putting their carts out on collection day.

· Make your own gifts – try knitting a hat, painting a canvas or baking.

· Recyclables make great material for Christmas crafts and cards.

· Consider alternative ways to wrap gifts. Reuse bags and boxes that you already have at home. Use cloth bags, tea towels, a t-shirt or simply avoid wrapping completely.

Find more tips at calgary.ca/recycleright.

Safely dispose of household batteries

Don’t put any kind of battery in your blue, green or black carts. Batteries contain metals like lead, lithium, cadmium and mercury that can be dangerous to human health and the environment. If they end up in any of your carts, batteries can get crushed and cause fires at the recycling, composting and landfill facilities. Household batteries include non-rechargeable alkaline batteries (AA and AAA) and rechargeable batteries found in cellphones, laptops and cordless power tools.

Safely dispose of batteries by taking to a participating retailer for free recycling, including London Drugs, Staples, Home Depot, Rona, IKEA and Best Buy. For more information visit calgary.ca/battery.