The amount of plastic waste at Christmas from packaging, crackers and wrapping paper adds to the ever-growing landfill problem by at least a third.
But there are ways to combat it and have a more eco-friendly Christmas by taking small steps.
There’s a rising number of businesses cropping up providing products made from reusable or biodegradable materials or which can be recycled after use.
By making a few changes to your usual purchasing patterns, you can cut down on what goes into landfill and be a little kinder to the environment.
Here’s a guide to some common products bought over Christmas and some simple switches to take their place:
Cards to Recycle or Plant
Let’s start with cards. Many people send e-cards, which could be seen as eco-friendly, but loses the feeling of being given a real card.
There are so many great cards out there made of biodegradable and recyclable material, why wouldn’t you go for anything else?
Avoid cards with glitter or extra embellishments, as chances are, they cannot be recycled.
A growing trend in the cards market has been the inclusion of seeds in a card so that they can be planted once finished with.
Green Planet Paper creates unique handmade cards made with biodegradable material and filled with wildflower seeds and you can plant the seeds along with the paper afterward.
Hannah Marchant also has some intricate seasonal card designs with a range of different seeds. She also provides tips on how to plant your card, whether in a pot or in the garden.
Try Cloth Crackers and Cracker Bags
You could be crackers to buy them these days with the amount of waste they generate. The shiny paper, the magic bang, it’s said that 40 million crackers are bought and pulled around the dinner table every Christmas. As they’re made of mixed materials and can’t be recycled, it’s sad to think how much of waste of resources they cause.
So, what’s can you use instead?
Switching your regular paper crackers for reusable cloth crackers or paper recyclable cardboard crackers makes it easy to change what you usually buy.
The Oat House is a small business that makes its own stylised crackers from cloth, in a variety of patterns. You can fill them with your choice of novelty items – forget plastic frogs and mini dice!
Want something a bit different?
Why not try a cracker bag instead?
Cracking_bags designs fashionable bags filled with a variety of gifts inside to add a little uniqueness to your Christmas table.
Boobalou has a range of reusable crackers that can be pulled then refilled over and over. They even have the replaceable strips to get that festive bang year upon year.
Switch Cling for Wraps
All that shiny, clingy wrappng stuff you use to cover the turkey, store the leftovers and cover bowls of steaming food for later; Yet, it’s an astonishing waste of resources that go into landfill.
So, why is cling film still so popular with the nation?
It’s easy to opt for cling film after years of yearly habits and it’s so easy to pick up a roll on your weekly shop. It’s part of a long-term habit of use that can really be changed.
Cling film can easily be swapped for reusable lids or cloth covers. V-Eco Food Wraps has some uniquely designed, waxy coverings for food made with a wooden toggle on a cotton cord, attached to a naturally-made button. These can be wiped down and reused for years to come.
They’ve also got some great designs to suit all tastes. They can be found on Instagram at @v.ecofoodwraps.
The Beeswax Wraps Co provides vegan food wraps and price them as a set with other sustainable products or individually. They give 10% off your first order.
Scrap the Wrap
A different kind of wrap. What I mean here is to ditch buying wrapping paper – unless you plan to reuse it each year. And why is that? Wrapping paper is absolutely impossible to recycle! Despite this fact, there was still 227.000 miles worth of wrapping paper used in 2019, all ending up in landfill.
Even wrapping paper that’s recyclable sometimes ends up in the bin because some people simply aren’t aware that it can be recycled.
So what’s the alternative?
You can get brown wrapping paper and embellish it with ribbons, natural elements, such as pine cones or tie it with twine. Green Planet Paper offers affordable, recyclable wrapping paper designs.
Naturally Wrapt has gift tags, individual cloth wrapping and gift tags that can all be either composted or recycled.
So scrap the usual wrap this year and go for eco!
If you must use traditional wrapping paper, get it returned to you so you can reuse it for the next year.
Stick With Paper Tape
Around 440 million rolls of sticky tape were used in 2019 and guess what? These can’t be recycled either!
Probably the best alternative to this is paper tape because it’s recyclable,and biodegradable, too. There’s plenty of different versions of paper tape to be found at The Plastic Free Shop and Anything But Plastic.
Be Real About Your Meals
Bubble and Squeak is a British traditional meal combining a mix of the leftovers from Christmas Day. As a nation, we tend to get carried away and always buy more food than we actually need. As a result, there’s so much wasted food thrown away from this over-buying habit so common around Christmas time.
Work out how much of each item you’ll need and only buy that amount.
People give chocolate and biscuit gifts that last way into the new year that no-one has any intention of really eating. Also, many biscuits come in packaging that can’t go into a weekly collection. Think of non-edible gifts you can buy for people or share them out at work or at social events if you know you won’t get through them all!
Put veg in cloth bags and buy potatoes loose
Invest in a cloth bag and buy fruit and veg loose so you can cut down on packaging.
When it comes to packaging for frozen food, check your labelling – some can be, while others can’t. The labelling will say if it can be recycled and where to do this – if not in your regular collection, it will be in a recycling centre that can be booked online.
And lastly...decorate natural
As shiny and shimmery as tinsel is, it can’t be recycled. Think paper chains and decorations made from reusable materials. Use natural decor, including pine cones, branches, berries and string them together to hang around the house and on the tree. Get some string and collect some natural foliage or purchase it online. Want to make your own? The Eco Shop UK has some crafty decoration-making kits available, all Fair Trade, too.
