We have all heard the notion that Christmas is the time for giving. But where the environment is concerned, it is an extremely wasteful time.
According to Australian Ethical, rubbish volumes rise by 30% around Christmas with much of that attributed to packaging, wrapping paper and plastic. Food waste increases at Christmas time also.
Whilst some may pledge a no-gift Christmas, I believe that this isn’t the only solution to a more sustainable Christmas.
I’ll explore 5 potential ways of decreasing the environmental burden of Christmas whilst still allowing you to join in the gift of giving this Christmas.
Experience Gifts
One solution, which my family are big fans of, are gift in experiences. Last year my Aunty and Uncle bought my littles tickets to a Playschool concert and my immediate family put in to buy Zoo memberships.
To be honest, I was relatively late to the party in recognising “experiences” as a gift giving idea (beyond the whole movie ticket or gold class ticket voucher). It wasn’t that I didn’t see the value, I just never really thought about it.
It was my other half in our courting days that really opened my eyes to it. I have fond memories of picnics at Shakespeare in the park and summer concerts on the zoo lawn.
Wanted Gifts
However there are still times when a tangible gift is still called for. In such times, my second suggestion is trying to make sure you purchase a gift that is truly wanted and useful and maybe even practical to the recipient, this will help increase its probability of not ending up in landfill or the local charity shop. Here is my post on 79+ ideas for the littles this Christmas in 2020.
Be Brand Conscious
Thirdly if possible, opt for ethical and sustainable brands that use less packaging too.
Alternative Wrapping Ideas
Fourth, consider how you wrap (or don’t wrap) your gift. Traditional wrapping paper cannot be recycled as it is coated in plastic. I know, who knew right! I feel a little bit better knowing that I was that person that used to neatly fold the used wrapping paper, take it home and add it to my littles crafting box. However, in an ideal world that paper wasn’t even manufactured right?
You could make sure the paper you used was truly paper and not shiny plastic coated. I’m not saying throw away any paper you have in storage, of course use that up but if buying more, then try to buy recycled paper that doesn’t have any glitter or foil added to it. Get creative and use biodegradable string or wool to avoid the sticky tape and consider some foliage to add some embellishment.
Or maybe place your gifts in a gift bag as they tend to be reused more. Or if the size is right consider using boxes you have had something delivered in.
There is a trend to use fabric at the moment and whilst I love the aesthetics, I wonder how much better this truly is if the fabric is also going to be thrown out as well.
Some of the creative solutions I have heard include using tea towels and string. I have even seen some innovative ideas using shirts or second-hand clothing (ideally without cutting up the fabric so the item can continue to be of value). With Australians throwing out 6,000kg of clothes every 10 minutes- yep straight to landfill- this could be a really practical solution. And they look super cool too.
1Million Women released a great how-to guide a couple years back on How to: Furoshiki (Japanese Fabric Wrapping) gifts of all different shapes and sizes.
Skip the Just Becauses
Lastly, Christmas has the supermarkets filled with extra processed foods that generally come with extra waste thanks to all the individual packaging. I know candy canes and chocolates are an easy go to but they really do not provide any health benefits alongside the environmental impact.
One year with my preps, a super generous mum (and chef) came in. She had made some gingerbread people and my preppies spent the morning designing and then decorating their gingerbread person. It was an activity each child actively took part in as they were able to get into the festive season.
How much of Christmas is done in excess or just because? Is it really necessary to add individually wrapped candy canes to each present? Is it a possibility to have the littles invited over for Christmas participate in decorating their own gingerbread person as part of the Christmas festivities?
Christmas may be the time for giving but maybe the environment may be added to your list of recipients this year with some of these low waste Christmas ideas.
XxTammy
