Got A Bunch Of Holiday Cards? Don't Throw Them In The Trash

Before you trash your greeting cards, check out these greener options.

Before you throw out all of the holiday cards you got from your aunts, uncles, grandparents, neighbors, and that piano teacher you stopped taking lessons with in 2002, consider recycling or donating them!

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More than two billion Christmas cards alone are sent in the US each year (y'all are festive AF), which means there are PLENTY of opportunities to keep pounds and pounds of paper out of landfills, where they'll contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

As long as the card and envelope are made of plain paper — that includes heavy card stock and shiny paper — you can recycle them.

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If the card has glitter, ribbon, foil, metal charms, or felt cutouts on it, you'll have to remove them before tossing the card in your recycling bin, as most recycling centers won't accept cards with these materials attached. The same goes for envelopes lined with foil (you know, the ones with a glossy interior) — they have to be thrown in the trash, unfortunately.

Did your aunt send you a card that plays "Joy to the World" on loop? Well, if you haven't already, you can rip out the battery-operated device that plays the music and then recycle the card — again, as long as it's plain paper. Also, you might actually want to check if the batteries can be reused in any of your household devices, since that's often the case. If not, see if your community has an e-waste recycling program that will accept the device (circuit board, speakers, and all).

You can also donate them to organizations like St. Jude's Ranch for Children, where they'll be given to kids to enjoy and craft into something new.

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All you have to do is mail them the front cover of the card and they'll reuse it! See if there are any similar organizations, nonprofits, or even pre-schools in your area taking recycled greeting cards, and check if there aren't any exceptions before sending them. For example, St. Jude's can't accept greeting cards from Hallmark, American Greetings, or Disney.

Feelin' crafty? You could repurpose the cards by removing their front covers and transforming them into new cards or cute gift tags.

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Check out some super-clever ways to upcycle all of your cards here.

Or, if you're someone who can't bear the idea of parting with your cards, you can organize them in a beautiful binder.

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This way, they won't just get shoved in the back of a junk drawer for decades to come, and you can flip through whenever you need a lil' reminder of all the people who think of you. Learn how to put a special card binder together here.

Whatever you decide to do with your cards, make like a Christmas tree and ~keep it green~.

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Happy holidays!

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