The Festive season doesn’t have to be a time of over-indulgence and waste.
Here are some tips for thoughtful ways you can create less waste.
- Give homemade gifts – who doesn’t love a great homemade jam or chutney or a batch of beautiful biscuits.
- Get creative with gift wrapping – use newspaper, fabric or a scarf or teatowel that can become part of a gift. If you are buying wrapping, make sure it’s recyclable paper (no cellophane and no glitter).
- Instead of curling ribbon use twine, which can be reused in the garden to tie up tomatoes or other plants.
- Collect household batteries from Christmas toys or strands of lights and drop them off for recycling at the Civic Centre.
- Make a phone call, write an email or send a video message rather than sending a physical gift. Connecting in this way and sharing your time and thoughtfulness will be appreciated.
- Borrow or hire anything additional you need for hosting celebrations, including tablecloths, chairs, plates and cutlery. Friends and family might be happy to contribute in this way and it saves buying new items and then storing them all year long.
- Clean and organise your fridge before you do your festive food shopping and make sure you carefully store everything you buy so that it lasts well and doesn’t end up going to waste.
- Arrange a Secret Santa to reduce the number of gifts. Selecting just one gift means you can put more time and thought into gifting something that will suit the recipient.
- Natural Christmas trees can be cut up to fit in your green bin.
