Christmas day arrives, you wake early (whether you like it or not). Coffee followed by some eggnog that it’s probably too early for—but hey, it’s Christmas!—is thrust into your hand. Just like that you’re on the Christmas Day Train; presents devoured, bins filled, topped up, plates piled, crackers popped, hats on, another refill, dishwasher packed, out for a walk, time for cheese, andddddd flop.
Another great Christmas, you think as you heave your food baby up the stairs, catching a glimpse of the bin bags that racked up over the day outside. A twinge of remorse. Was all that waste necessary?
Well, we’re here to deliver the good news. No, all that waste isn’t necessary. And reducing it isn’t going to make the day even more of a marathon than it already is.
Here are 7 tips for a sustainable Christmas, which should slot right into your routine:
Reusable/recyclable wrapping paper
Every Christmas it’s estimated that the UK throws away 108 million rolls of wrapping paper (Recycling Bins UK). If we assume the average roll is 5m (some are a lot longer), that’s 336 thousand miles of paper. Enough to circle the earth 13 times.
If these figures have shocked you enough to try something new this year, there are a few options to help you reduce waste in this area:
- Reusable wrapping paper: A number of businesses have started selling fabric wrapping paper (Wragwrap, Happy Wrap, Kindly Yarn). If you’re feeling creative/want to keep the costs down you could dye and chop an old duvet cover/set of curtains into a Christmassy d-ream (see what we did there?). Charity shops tend to have these in abundance if you’re dry at home.
- Recyclable wrapping paper: If you’d prefer to stick with what you know, you can still do your bit by choosing paper that can be recycled. This means foregoing the sparkly, glossy rolls and instead choosing brown paper packaging tied up with string (anyone else sing that as they read it?) With a spritz of colourful string or fabric ribbon, these presents look gorgeous.
Out with the fillers
Christmas Spirit has a habit of sending the consumerist wing of our brains into overdrive; the more presents, the better! But according to Ziffit's’s survey of 2000 people across the UK, almost two-thirds are expecting to receive unwanted gifts that they will never use and one in 10 of these gifts ends up in landfill.
This Christmas, can you cut down on the ‘filler’ presents? The ones you buy on a whim because you’re worried there isn’t enough under the tree or in the stocking. If not, swap physical gifts for an experience or charity subscription. Some fun, quirky ideas include:
Rent a tree
According to the Carbon Trust, a 2m-tall cut Christmas tree that ends up in landfill has a 16kg carbon footprint. 7 million are bought in the UK each year, which means even if only half of these go to landfill we’re creating 56,000 tonnes CO2e per year just on Christmas trees.
Enter ‘rent a tree’. I exhaled an audible ‘ooo’ upon discovering this delightful idea. A real Christmas tree with none.of.the.guilt (and none of the hassle).
It works much like any online rental service—you order your tree, it’s delivered on an agreed date, you use it as you like, and it’s picked up afterwards to be replanted. It’s a zero-waste Christmas tree and environmentally friendly Christmas for you!
Check for an FSC or Soil Association log to ensure your tree is grown sustainably.
Additionally, have a look at this website (US based) to check where you can recycle your tree.
Less meat, better quality
Now I know I’m entering dangerous territory here; you don’t mess with people’s Christmas dinners. But before you slam your laptop shut/throw your desktop out the window/scream at your phone in utter disgust, hear me out.
Christmas dinners traditionally centre around meat in the UK; it’s turkey with trimmings, ham sandwiches, roast beef. We’re meat mad, which means there’s no way I’m going to suggest cutting it out completely!
It is, however, no secret that meat has a high carbon footprint (see our blog ‘The carbon footprint of meat’ for more information). So, if you want to host a more sustainable Christmas dinner this year, reducing the amount of meat on offer can really help.
By opting for a smaller bird/cut, you can use the money saving to choose one that’s better quality. This will undoubtedly mean a tastier meal, and plates can still be filled by cooking extra vegetables and potatoes (the real star of the show, let’s be honest).
Here’s some other ways you can lower the carbon footprint of your Christmas dinner:
- Have roast chicken instead of roast beef and save around 25 kg CO2e
- Serve halloumi in blankets instead of pigs in blankets and save around 2.5 kg CO2e
- Avoid out of season, exotic fruit and veg (e.g. avocados, berries, rhubarb) and save around 10kg CO2e
- Have a ‘leftovers action plan’. Eliminate food waste and save around 0.63 kg CO2e per kg of food.
Cards that grow
Each year, the UK sends 1 billion Christmas cards to landfill (PHW). You can help to change this by sending recyclable cards and recycling any that you can. If there’s no guidance on whether a card is recyclable or not, a general rule of thumb is that if it’s glossy or sparkly you can’t recycle it. Recycling, however, still requires energy which means that while it’s certainly better than sending something to landfill, it still has a carbon footprint. The best option is the nifty little idea (another audible ‘ooo’ from me) to send cards that grow.
These are cards made from paper infused with seeds. Once you’re ready to get rid of the card, you plant it in a pot or in your garden and watch it grow into flowers. You can buy these on Etsy, or make your own.
Environmentally friendly Christmas crackers
What would Christmas dinner be without Uncle Ian cracking a cracker joke that only he finds funny? The silliness and laughter that this tradition brings is an important part of Christmas. Still, there’s no denying that it’s wasteful, especially when crackers are filled with plastic toys that immediately go in the bin or get eaten by the carpet.
Environmentally friendly Christmas crackers are emerging as an option to buy. They tend to be made from recyclable materials, contain plastic-free gifts that people actually want to keep, and are made in the UK so don’t have a high transport carbon footprint.
Of course, this option tends to be more expensive than your average-cracker so if your budget doesn’t permit you to splash on this, you could try making some of your own. Riddles, jokes, and personalised hats are all some low carbon gift ideas to fill them.
Second-hand/rented outfits
According to a report by Hubbub, Brits will spend about £74 on party wear for the festive period, then not wear it again. Fast fashion has an incredibly high carbon footprint—the fashion industry is responsible for 8% of all global greenhouse gas emissions, more carbon than the aviation and shipping industries combined.
One of the best ways that consumers in the UK can reduce their carbon footprint at Christmas is to resist the urge to buy a brand new outfit. If you won’t wear it again, why spend your hard earned cash on it? Instead, try one of these two options:
- Rent an outfit from NuWardrobe, Byrotation, onloan
- Buy a second hand outfit on Ebay, Vinted, Depop. You can search by brands, so if you see something in a shop you want you might be able to get it on these second-hand apps for cheaper!
For more info on the carbon footprint of shopping, read Ruth’s blog ‘Ways to reduce your carbon footprint while shopping’.
