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THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, DECEmbEr 2, 2022 ~ Guest Commentary ~ Page 11 ’tis the season to reduce, reuse and recycle T his is a special time of year – and not necessarily only for gatherings and celebrations. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s, Americans produce 25 percent more waste than usual – or 1 million extra tons per week. During the holidays, and throughout the year, WIN Waste Innovations partners with the Town of Saugus (and other municipalities) to collect and dispose of non-recyclable solid waste in a safe, environmentally friendly way while generating renewable energy. Saugus is fortunate to have forward-looking leadership that oversees a state-of-theart waste management system that includes a robust recycling program. One example is the Town’s Center for Hard To Recycle Materials (CHaRM) facility, the first of its kind in Massachusetts. Area residents an indispensable part of this system, which is guided by the three Rs of waste management -reduce, reuse and recycle. And with a little thought and creativity, all of us can make a meaningful contribution to the cause of environmental protection and conservation, especially around the holidays. Reduce is the most effective approach because it eliminates a problem before it becomes a problem. One example, preferable to dealing with wrapping paper and cardboard, is to consider “experience” gifts such as tickets to a concert, an IOU to perform household chores or a simple evening “moon walk.” Food waste is the largest component of municipal solid waste. Before you start scraping plates into the trash, consider composting, contributing unused food to shelters or pantries, or simply shopping with a plan to avoid over-buying. One idea that can help the environment while ridding you of a nuisance is to reduce the amount of holiday and other junk mail that you receive. It takes a little effort, but you might find it well worth it. The place to start is the Federal Trade Commission – consumer.ftc.gov. Stanford University also has a good list of ideas for reducing waste over the holidays – lbre.stanford.edu. During the holidays, and at all times, WIN Waste Innovations is sure to be on the job -collecting waste that cannot be recycled, providing renewable energy to thousands of homes, reducing greenhouse gases by diverting post-recycled waste from landfills and the truck traffic to haul it there, and supporting the Town’s economic goals and community efforts. Thank you for doing your part and helping us do ours. Best wishes for a safe, healthy and successful holiday season and New Year. (Editor’s Note: This Op-Ed was submitted by WIN Waste Innovations in Saugus) The Naughty List – BBB’s 5 Scams of Christmas W hile 2022 is quickly winding down, scams targeting the public continue to cause trouble. Consumers should watch out for any fraudulent schemes aimed at swiping their cash and stealing personal information. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has a naughty list with the top 12 scams of Christmas that are most likely to catch consumers and donors off guard during this season. Many of the scams on this list are facilitated through emails and social media platforms; however, the latter is where most people are vulnerable. Exercise caution when coming across social media ads about discounted items, event promotions, job opportunities and donation requests, as well as direct messages from strangers. If you are asked to make a payment or donation by wire or e-transfer, through third parties, by prepaid debit or gift cards, treat this as a red flag. Be mindful of these scams that could cut into your holiday cheer and our tips to avoid them: 1. Misleading social media ads: As you scroll through your social media feed, you often see items for sale from a small business. Sometimes the business even claims to support a charity to try to get you to order, or they offer a free trial. BBB Scam Tracker receives reports of people paying for items that they never receive, getting charged monthly for a free trial they never signed up for or receiving an item that is counterfeit or much different from the one advertised. The 2022 BBB Online Scams Report (https://www.bbbmarketplacetrust.org/onlinescams) found that online purchase scams were the most common cons reported to Scam Tracker and the category with the most victims. Do your homework and research the company before ordering. Check out the business profile on BBB.org (https:// www.bbb.org/search) and read the reviews. Read more about misleading ads (https://www.bbb.org/ article/news-releases/20678scam-alert-think-twice-beforebuying-from-these-social-media-ads), free trial offers (https:// www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/24189-bbb-tip-read-thefine-print-before-signing-upfor-a-free-trial-offer) and counterfeit goods (https://www. bbb.org/article/news-releases/16910-bbb-tip-counterfeitproduct-scams). 2. Social media gift exchanges: Each holiday season this scheme pops back up, and this year is no different. A newer version of this scam revolves around exchanging bottles of wine; another suggests purchasing $10 gifts online. Another twist asks you to submit your email into a list where participants get to pick a name and send money to strangers to “pay it forward.” There is even a twist about “Secret Santa Dog” where you buy a $10 gift for your “secret dog.” In all of these versions, participants unwittingly share their personal information, along with those of their family members and friends, and are further tricked into buying and shipping gifts or money to unknown individuals. And – it’s an illegal pyramid scheme. Read more about the social media gift exchange (https://www. bbb.org/article/scams/18854bbb-warning-secret-sister-giftexchange-is-illegal). 3. Holiday apps: Apple’s App Store and Google Play list dozens of holiday-themed apps where children can video chat live with Santa, light the menorah, watch Santa feed live reindeer, track his sleigh on Christmas Eve or relay their holiday wish lists. This holiday season, like the past two years when COVID-19 caused children to skip the traditional in-person visit with Santa, apps may play a more important role than ever. Review privacy policies to see what information will be collected. Be wary of free apps, as they can sometimes contain more advertising than apps that require a nominal fee. Free apps can also contain malware. Read more about holiday apps (https://www.bbb.org/article/ news-releases/18957-bbb-tipis-that-santa-app-safe-bettercheck-it-twice). 4. Alerts about compromised accounts: BBB has been receiving reports on Scam Tracker (https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker) about a con claiming your Amazon, PayPal, Netflix or bank account has been compromised. Victims receive an email, call or text message that explains that there has been suspicious activity on one of their accounts, and it further urges them to take immediate action to prevent the account from being compromised. Be extra cautious about unsolicited calls, emails and texts. Read more about compromised account scams. 5. Free gift cards: Nothing brings good cheer like the word free. Scammers have been known to take advantage of this weakness by sending bulk phishing emails requesting personal information to receive free gift cards. In some of these emails, scammers impersonate legitimate companies like Starbucks and promise gift cards to loyal customers who have been supporting their business throughout the pandemic. They may also use pop-up ads or send text messages with links saying you were randomly selected as the winner for a prize. If you have received an unsolicited email with gift card offers, do not open it. Instead, mark it as Spam or Junk. However, if you opened the email, do not click on any links. Read more about gift card scams (https://www.bbb.org/article/ news-releases/14400-dont-getscammed-out-of-a-gift-cardthis-season). The COVID-19 Update Town reports 23 newly confirmed cases; no new deaths By Mark E. Vogler T here were 23 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases in Saugus over the past week through Wednesday (Nov. 30). The new cases reported by the state Department of Public Health (DPH) over the past week increased the overall total to 10,146 confirmed cases since the outbreak of the global pandemic in March of 2020, according to Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree. There were no new COVID-19-related deaths over the past week, as the death toll remained at 100. “Our hearts and prayers go out to those families affected by this health pandemic,” Crabtree said. THIS WEEK ON SAUGUS TV Sunday, Dec. 4 from 9–11 p.m. on Channel 8 – “Sunday Night Stooges” (The Three Stooges). Monday, Dec. 5 all day on Channel 8 – “Movie Monday” (classic movies). Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 8:30 p.m. on Channel 9 – School Committee Meeting from Dec. 1. Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 8:30 p.m. on Channel 9 – Board of Health Meeting from Dec. 5. Thursday, Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. on Channel 8 – What’s Cookin’ with Amanda. Friday, Dec. 9 at 8:30 p.m. on Channel 9 – Planning Board Meeting from Dec. 1. Saturday, Dec. 10 at 9 p.m. on Channel 8 – Historical Society Meeting from Nov. 9. Saugus TV can be seen on Comcast Channels 8, 9 & 22. For complete schedules, please visit www.saugustv.org. ***programming may be subject to change without notice***

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