DATE: Saturday, November 29, 1997           TAG: 9711290229

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY PAM LOWNEY, CORRESPONDENT 

DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY                    LENGTH:   65 lines

DON'T TRASH THE SEASON, OFFICIALS SAY REPORT OFFERS WAYS TO RECYCLE, RE-USE TO MAKE THE HOLIDAY SEASON GREENER.

If it's the thought that counts in gift-giving, Christmas is an obvious time of year to think about the resources devoted to exchanging presents and celebrating special occasions.

According to the ULS (Use Less Stuff) Report of Partners for Environmental Progress, in the five weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's, the nation's trash increases by an extra 1 million tons a week.

Annually, trash from gift wrap and shopping bags amounts to 4 million tons. Third-class mail - including all those holiday catalogs - totals 4.4 million tons of waste a year.

In addition, said Pasquotank County Recycling Coordinator Marie Jenkins, ``A lot of gifts are not used or taken back. There's a lot of waste there.''

If you're unsure what the recipient needs, she said, ``making a donation to charity in the name of someone is a really good thing.''

If you're the recipient of a present you don't need, she added, ``remember the charities that take clothing and housewares and would be glad to have what you can't use.''

Starting a savings account and giving savings bonds also lessens the amount of wrapping paper and prevents presents from going unused, said the ULS Report's Yuletide Guide.

Gift certificates are another option.

Here are more suggestions, from Jenkins and the Yuletide Guide, for reducing waste during the holidays:

Give a single, thoughtfully selected gift instead of several that may seem less personal.

Shop locally to conserve gas.

If you decide to shop out of town, make a list to help you remember everything and avoid a return trip. Also, plan your route efficiently.

Patronize resale and consignment stores.

Cancel catalogs you no longer wish to receive. Many have toll-free phone numbers you can call.

Buy Christmas cards made of recycled paper.

Recycle some of the cards you receive by cutting off the covers and framing them, using them to decorate gift boxes or giving them to your children for art projects.

Decorate brown paper bags, butcher paper or clean newsprint for wrapping paper. Use rubber stamps, stencils, sponges or do splash painting with toothbrushes.

Use the comics section, outdated road maps, fabric and other materials at hand for wrapping paper and gift bags.

Recycle your Christmas tree for mulch. If you live in Elizabeth City, leave it at the curb. If you live in Pasquotank County, take it to your recycling center.

To get more use from your tree before you dispose of it, put it in your yard with food for birds, such as orange slices, bird seed biscuits and suet cakes.

Take time to write legibly when ordering film processing. Kodak disposes of 400,000 rolls of film a year because of illegible return addresses.

Use timers for your Christmas tree and outdoor lights so you won't forget to turn them off. Leave them off when you go away.

Some extra thought can conserve resources - and even make the season more meaningful, Jenkins said.

``Think about it real hard before you throw something away. Can you give it away? Can you reuse it for something else?'' she said.

When shopping, she added, ask yourself, ``Do I really want to buy this? Will it be useful? Will it be the gift I want it to be?''

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