The increased trash Americans throw “away” during the holiday season is undeniable. I’ve read that five million tons of excess American trash are produced between Thanksgiving and New Years. A number that big is hard to imagine, but it isn’t hard to imagine the excess trash within my own household and we recycle and compost everything we can. Multiply that by all the households. That’s a lot of trash. Here are my ideas for some waste-free gifts.

My favorite gift is the gift certificate to Seed Savers Exchange that I bought for my uncle, an enthusiastic gardener. Seed Savers Exchanges is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and sharing heirloom seeds, promoting genetic diversity among food crops. This gift reduces waste in the traditional sense. If my uncle recycles the actual gift certificate (after using it, of course) and its envelope, nothing is bound for the landfill. But it also reduces waste down the road, since he will use the seeds to grow his own food. This reduces the amount of food packaging he brings home. It also reduces the amount of energy consumed (and greenhouse gases emitted) as his food does not need to be transported to his home. My own box of winter squash in the garage has saved me a few trips out to the store already this fall. Typically home grown food, especially if compost is used, doesn’t require the same pesticide and fertilizer inputs as conventional produce. This saves money and energy (fertilizer is made from natural gas), resulting in less waste and pollution as well as improved health.

For the non-gardeners on your list, consider a gift certificate for a non-landfill-bound gift such as a massage, knitting lessons, or a horseback riding excursion. Consider what your loved one likes to do or would like to learn. Buying gift certificates for services tends to support small businesses and keeps your money local.

Foods and soaps are a nice low-waste option since they are consumed, and unlike a lot of other gifts people actually need them. Farmers markets are a great place to find unique locally produced goods from local farmers and artisans. These goods tend to have less packaging to boot.

For your benevolent loved ones, consider a donation to an organization they support. If they are an animal lover, now is a great time to make a donation to an animal welfare organization. With home foreclosures and the economic downturn, animal shelters have many more incoming than outgoing animals and could use the support.

For loved-ones living far away, suggest that you both deposit money in a savings account. Do this each year for holidays and/or birthdays and after a while you’ll have enough to fund a visit. My sister-in-law and I started this last year. We felt this gets to the true meaning of holidays, knowing that down the road we’ll be spending one together. If I’m the one flying from Vermont to Texas, I’ll be asking for carbon offsets that year.