This year, give the gift of ‘green’ through King County’s Waste Free Holidays program

'Experience' gifts, offered at discounts of 15-50 percent, help cut holiday waste

This holiday season, give loved ones great gifts that come with a deep discount and less waste, through King County's Waste Free Holidays program.

Waste Free Holidays offers a tremendous variety of "experience gifts" that can be purchased from Nov. 15 to Dec. 31. Gifts range from tickets to museums, concerts and plays, to gift certificates for restaurants, fishing trips and yoga lessons – and they are all offered at a discount of 15 to 50 percent.

"Over the years, our list of options for alternative gift giving has grown by leaps and bounds," said Tom Watson, King County's Waste Free Holidays program manager. "No matter how difficult some people are to shop for, it's easy to find just the right gift that's also great for the environment."

Purchases at the discounted price can be made through Dec. 31 by contacting the partners directly. Details on all the offers and the participating partners are posted at www.wastefreeholidays.com.

Now in its 12th year, Waste Free Holidays in King County is sponsored by the King County Solid Waste Division and Seattle Public Utilities. The City of Tacoma, Kitsap County and Thurston County also offer Waste Free Holidays programs with their local businesses.

Watson said Waste Free Holidays was established to address what is a growing tide of waste that's generated every holiday season.

"Americans generate 25 percent more waste during the roughly five weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years Day, compared to any other five-week period of the year," Watson said. "Giving someone an experience gift through Waste Free Holidays not only cuts down on that mountain of extra garbage, but it saves you money, too.

"You can learn to play bagpipes or golf, delve into more than half a dozen different types of martial arts, learn yoga, practice Pilates, get a massage or henna tattoos," said Watson. "Then there are certificates for more than two dozen restaurants, for fishing trips, kayaking trips and more."

Watson said more than 50 percent of people surveyed said they received a holiday gift the previous year that they hadn't yet used, or had thrown away. One third of respondents said they had thrown a holiday present straight into the garbage.

King County's Waste Free Holidays encourages residents to think about the environment while shopping this holiday season. For more information, visit www.wastefreeholidays.com, or contact Watson at 206-296-4481 or tom.watson@kingcounty.gov.