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Christmas is just a few days away and many of us are already looking forward to family get-togethers and opening loads of presents from loved ones. Ah, talk about the fun part.

However, we also know that once the festivities are over, the arduous task of cleaning up begins. That also means, more wastes are expected to get dumped in landfills, creating additional burden to the environment.

“After the holidays, houses are littered with piles of crumbled wrapping paper, holiday cards, pine needles and boxes of packaging peanuts,” Jeanette Kjosa, The UPS Store franchise owner, told Patch. “An easy way for individuals to do their part in keeping their community clean is by recycling.”

UPS, the world’s largest package delivery company, is one of the staunch advocates of eco-friendly campaigns. It has a long history of supporting programs that provide long-term solutions to community needs.

Kjosa said there’s something all of us can do to protect the environment after holiday celebrations, among them include:

1. Recycling greeting cards. Whether they’re printable cards or store-bought greeting cards, they can still be useful for future art projects of the kids,  so keep them. If you don’t like keeping piles of card stocks at home, contact local organizations that could use your collection of used greeting cards.

2. Reusing wrapping paper, ribbons, gift boxes, and paper bags for future occasions. Recycle those you can’t reuse.

3. Recycling packaging peanuts. Many UPS Stores accept clean foam packing peanuts of all sizes, shapes, and colors. Take advantage their recycling program.

4. Reusing Christmas decorations. You don’t need to buy Christmas decorations every year. Store your existing Christmas ornaments properly to keep them in good condition.