Do Just One Thing

You may be hosting a large function during the holiday season, whether it's a dinner party or a festive event with lots of food. Since this is the time of year when food waste can quickly end up in landfills, consider allowing guests to take home leftovers. You can purchase paper takeout containers yourself that guests can fill and take with them, or encourage guests to bring their own reusable containers. Your local deli or Chinese food restaurant will often sell you a few extra containers if you ask.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

When decorating for the holiday season, look for locally grown and all-natural decor instead of store-bought items. Evergreen swags, berries, squashes and dried corn and gourds are all great things to adorn your mantel, dining table and exterior of your home. Not only are they compostable and biodegradable, but they are also inexpensive. Avoid natural items that are lacquered, spray-painted and/or gilded, since they can't be composted and often come from faraway states to get to your store.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Do you want to support a great nonprofit, keep waste out of landfills and make some extra cash, too? There's a growing trend of people sharing what you can buy at thrift stores like Goodwill that you could resell online for a profit. There are constantly updated lists online of items to look for when shopping. They range from sporting goods and tabletop items to even broken electronics resold for parts. One surprise right now: blank old media. Unused VHS tapes and DVDs can be purchased cheaply at thrift stores and resold for a huge profit.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION