By Becky (Teaching Talons)
Written: 2020
With Christmas almost upon us, it’s easy to get swept up in the festive flurry. It’s also easy to inadvertently, but massively add to landfill in just a few, short weeks. Everyone wants to give, eat, drink and be merry at Christmas- but there are lots of easy hints and tips to reduce, or cut out waste and be more environmentally friendly- whilst still having the most wonderful time of the year!
Wrapping- Did you know that many shiny, or glittery wrapping papers and ribbons aren’t actually recyclable or biodegradable? For the sake of sitting pretty under the tree for a while and a few seconds of unwrapping- you could be adding to landfill.
For effective, eco-friendly wrapping- try switching to recycled, brown kraft paper and biodegradable paper tape. It’s recycled and recyclable- so if you need to wrap gifts, it’s a must have! You can also buy it in huge rolls that will last you for many Christmases’ and occasions to come. As it is plain, you can use it at any time of year. If you like something a bit more special, use vegetable inks/dyes and stampers to decorate it (great fun for the kids) and tie it up with some biodegradable, natural twine. You could also use non-toxic, water-based paints.
Another option is gift wrap scarves- made of material, these can be used over and over, or double up as a gift for the receiver! They look really unique and come in a range of gorgeous colours and patterns.
Food for thought- Christmas tends to be a time of excess and indulgence, but this can lead to waste. Try to not buy more than you need, shop local- try farm shops, or a veg box of lovely, local produce, a smaller carbon footprint and less plastic!
Most of us do get creative with leftovers, but try to use up everything you can, or see if there is somewhere locally that you can drop off excess food to those in need. Bubble and squeak with leftover veg and unwanted sprouts is a favourite of mine! If you eat meat- you can even boil the carcass to make stock or soup and turkey curry is always a good shout!
Christmas crackers- Crackers tend to be an automatic feature of any table and enjoyed by everyone.. but for how long? For those couple of minutes of excitement, you could be adding to hundreds of years of plastic waste. Most crackers have 1 second wonders, or useless, tacky gifts inside.
Eco-friendly and plastic-free crackers are really taking off this year. Even larger chain stores are making the change- so you this should be an easy swap for most households. If you want another festive activity (again, something you could involve the kids with)- then why not have a go at making your own crackers? Start saving your toilet roll tubes, use some of your new roll of kraft paper (or something easier to tear) and tie with twine. For the insides you can make paper hats, print or write some jokes and maybe fill with a little chocolate or eco-friendly gift. You can even buy crackers snaps online for the classic bang! They may come wrapped in a plastic packet- but if you’re ordering a few and everything else is plastic-free, then you have still saved lots of waste, compared to buying a box of conventional crackers.
For my home made crackers- I use Who Gives a Crap? Toilet roll wrappers, as each eco-friendly roll comes in colourful tissue wrapping!
Advent calendars- A little late for this year, but refillable advent calendars are all the rage and there are also some eco-friendly, vegan and plastic-free advents on the market now. Refillable are great fun, especially if you make them for each other (so you don’t know what’s inside!) and can make a beautiful decoration in itself. For something more home made- I’ve even seen friends bust out the toilet roll tubes again and glue them together into a tree shape!
Taxi!- This year, many of us will be spending Christmas with our own household, but if you’re visiting local family (legally!) over the festive period, then instead of driving or getting a taxi, consider walking if it’s close enough and safe. Wrap up and have a festive wander! You’ll burn off some of that Christmas dinner too!
Terracycle- When all is said and done, we still live in a world where it is very hard to have a plastic-free Christmas and to avoid any waste. Because of this, don’t forget to recycle what you can and collect for Terracycle schemes. The confectionary stream will take most types of chocolate, sweet and biscuit wrappers. Find your local collection points and Facebook group to get used to what you can and can’t teracycle and start saving it! This also raises money for charities when the waste is weighed and sent off.
Have a very merry, environmentally-friendly Christmas!
Becky and the Teaching Talons team
(You can follow my eco-friendly journey on Instagram - @The_Eco_Emo )
You can catch up on Becky's recent Sustainable Bedford talk by heading to:
(Dreaming Of A Green Christmas?)
Recorded Live on Thursday 2nd December 2021 at 7:30pm