‘Tis the season to be jolly and bright, but it is also a time when plastic usage soars. Our festive celebrations contribute to environmental stress, from decorations to plastic packaging. It’s time to transform Christmas into a sustainable celebration.
In the UK, approximately 114,000 tonnes of plastic packaging ends up in landfill rather than being recycled out of the 125,000 tonnes of plastic packaging generated. That’s just over the festive period in one year and doesn’t even include the amount of food waste, or unwanted gifts discarded – 21 million people receive unwanted gifts, with 5% of those gifts being thrown away and not regifted, sold, or given to charity.
Christmas waste and unnecessary disposals contribute to the increasing global environmental issues. With more materials and products not being recycled, reused or disposed of properly, something needs to change.
Deck the Halls with Reusable Decorations
There’s no need to compromise decorating your home for the festive season in order to be eco-conscious.
Choose timeless staples, such as wooden ornaments, fabric banners and décor, and LED lights to give a nostalgic touch. Don’t buy new decorations that are single-use, look for decorations that you love and will use for years to come. Try searching in charity shops or online to find the right decorations, whilst being sustainable and donating to a good cause as the year comes to an end.
Why not make your own decorations this year? DIY decorations are not only fund to make but sustainable. Get your family and friends to help you. This can be a great way to spend time together with family and friends, and the children will have a blast creating their own decorations that they can look back on for years to come.
Don’t know where to start? Check out inspiration online from what others have created.
The Feast of Locally Sourced Food
Embrace the spirit of giving back to your community by opting for a feast made from locally sourced ingredients. Not only does this support local farmers and businesses, but it also reduces the carbon footprint associated with transporting food over long distances. Explore farmer's markets for fresh produce, and consider planning your Christmas menu around seasonal, locally available items.
Take your own packaging when visiting your local farms and businesses to reduce the amount of plastic wrapping and packaging that is used. This means less waste for you to dispose of, saves money, and you can reuse the packaging for future visits or to store leftover food.
It is estimated that over 4 million Christmas dinners are thrown away every year. This is attributed to one in seven UK consumers purchasing more food than needed and then discarding it when it is not eaten.
Bake your own sweet treats to snack on as you sit down to watch your favourite Christmas film. Use local ingredients to support local businesses and reduce your carbon footprint. Not this, but you get to feel a sense of achievement when tucking into them after you have finished baking.
Gift Responsibly
Selecting gifts with minimal or no plastic packaging can make a significant difference. There are plenty of plastic-free options that are reusable, durable, or have minimal environmental impact. Alternative gift ideas consist of experiences, homemade goodies, or hand-made gifts. Understanding what your recipient would like will help to minimise the number of unwanted gifts being disposed of.
Thoughtful gifts speak volumes. Choosing eco-friendly gifts shows that you care about the recipient and the planet.
Wrap it up with Love, Not Waste
Traditional gift wrapping contributes significantly to the mountains of waste generated during the holidays. Approximately 227,000 miles of wrapping paper is used within the UK each year at Christmas, which is approximately the distance from the Earth to the Moon. By recycling the amount of wrapping paper we mean that we would use 70% less energy than having to make wrapping paper from raw materials each year.
Adapting to reusable and recyclable alternatives would provide various benefits, such as energy and waste reduction. There are many creatives and sustainable alternatives that you can use to wrap your gifts (and you can even adapt these to wrapping gifts for other occasions).
Consider using reusable fabric wraps, old newspapers, and plain brown paper adorned with natural elements to make your gifts look unique whilst being sustainable and reducing your environmental impact this Christmas. Get creative with how you wrap sustainably.
Recyclable and reusable materials make better wrapping materials due to their environmental impact. In the UK, we throw away the equivalent of 108 million rolls of wrapping paper which does not get recycled.
Jingling All The Way To The Recycling Bin
As the festive season wraps itself up, it is important that we dispose of any waste created correctly. Disposing of Christmas remnants can be done sustainably with a few conscious choices.
If you have received presents wrapped in wrapping paper, separate them so that they can be recycled – if they have any metallic or plastic coatings on, then these can complicate the recycling process. Save any reusable bags or boxes for next year or pass them on to someone who can use them.
Recycling your Christmas cards is another step that can help impact your sustainability this Christmas. If they cannot be recycled, upcycle them into gift tags or other festive decorations. If you are throwing out some old decorations, check to see what can and cannot be recycled before disposing of them. The following can be recycled:
Cardboard
Card
Paper
Aluminium
Certain plastics
Ensure to separate each of the materials as this will help in reducing waste from being disposed into landfills. If we all recycle correctly, then we can begin to reduce the amount of waste created at Christmas (and also annually) by approximately 374,000 tonnes.
