Christmas is a special time of year. It is a time when we exchange gifts and observe traditions with our family and loved ones. It is also a time when there is quite a lot of feasting. Has it ever occurred to you that around 30% more waste is produced during the festive season than at any other time of the year? What’s more, by the time spring arrives, 41% of gifts end up in landfills. How about trying a more sustainable Christmas?

Food waste

There’s no need to buy mountains of food at Christmas. When planning your menu, think about what you’ll actually be eating. Create a menu and really think about whether it’s really necessary to buy things you don’t normally eat. Is anyone really going to consume them? A plan will definitely prevent you from over-buying large amounts of food. Think about the fact that a lot of things have a shelf life. And there’s no need to shop ahead. After all, the stores are open between the holidays, too.

Waste management

When it comes to food, ideally choose food that is not packaged in a lot of unnecessary plastic. But it’s not just food packaging that produces plastic waste. Many people don’t realise that even Christmas paper doesn’t always have to be just paper. Glittery or metallic gift papers are full of microplastics. Try using traditional paper and sprucing it up with, say, a sprig of conifer. You can draw something on the wrapping paper for the kids. It will be more personal and more eco-friendly.

━━ ( Source: Elena Mozhvilo /  Unsplash+ )

Hide the gift bags

Do you use gift bags instead of wrapping paper? They definitely don’t have to be disposable. They can be used repeatedly. Those that look like new can easily be used for a future gift. And the ones that aren’t quite in shape anymore can be used throughout the year instead of traditional bags.

Decorations

It’s clear that Christmas wouldn’t be complete without decorations. But it’s certainly not ideal to buy new decorations every year. Or even give them to someone who doesn’t really care about them. Unfortunately, such decorations often end up in the garbage. Think about what you’re buying and whether the recipient is really interested in it. And it would be best if you use natural decorations. Live twigs, pine cones, all sorts of red berries.

It’s not just about Christmas Eve

You probably won’t be able to save it this year, but for next time, try to think about investing in a reusable advent calendar. You can even make one yourself. Fill it with all sorts of gifts. These can be little things that will make the children happy or small sweets that you can hide in it.

And if you’re giving Christmas cards, get the perfect cards printed on recycled cardboard. Ideally one that is still recyclable. Remember, like paper, greeting cards containing quarters cannot be recycled. Try explaining to your children that not all gold is glitter.