How to have an eco-friendly Christmas
Are you trying to live an eco-friendly life? Maybe you are trying to recycle more, avoiding products wrapped in plastic, or trying to avoid massive cardboard boxes for tiny items?
If there is one time of year when we find a massive amount of packaging - gift cards, bags, boxes, and wrapping paper - it is the Christmas season. It is the norm, we know, and for many of us, it is a habit we have had for as long as we can remember. Plus, tearing open gifts is one of the things that makes Christmas so great - but it is not necessarily good for the planet. Here are four practical tips on how you can be more environmentally conscious:
1. Switch to eco-friendly Christmas packaging!
Take a minute to think about how much ends up in the bin for a second or two of joy and surprise, though there are also guilt-free, delicious biscuits on the shelves. Once you have pulled them out and found the treat, the job is done. But if you take the time to look around, you will realize that there is packaging that is plastic-free, not to mention reusable. And if you have time and love to craft, you can always make your own from recyclable materials.
2. Eco Christmas tip: Have an environmentally friendly Christmas tree!
It is possible for your Christmas tree to be green not just in color. For example, you can choose a live tree that you can replant in your garden at the end of Christmas, or even rent a real tree. Or if you do not care about a real tree, you can stick with an artificial tree that you can dust off and reuse every year. Or you might even decide not to have a tree at all and just use decorations. Another idea could be to decorate a tree that is already outside (you do not have to worry about it taking up space, your pets jumping into it, or the floor being covered in pine needles...).
3. Eco Christmas tip: Use eco-friendly wrapping paper!
That is, recycled wrapping paper that does not contain any non-recyclable materials, such as foil, glitter, and plastic. Besides checking the label to see if the chosen paper is sustainable, another way to test whether wrapping paper is recyclable or not is to perform the scrunch test.
How do you perform the scrunch test? Scrunch the paper up in your hand, then let go. If the ball stays scrunched up, it is recyclable. If it does not, it contains materials that cannot be recycled.
If you plan to use gift bags, do not be ashamed to keep any gift bags you might have received. The same applies to ribbons, tissue paper, bows, and any other used packaging materials that still have plenty of life left in them.
4. Eco Christmas tip: Give eco-friendly Christmas gifts
Reusable coffee cups, lunch boxes and cutlery sets made from bamboo fiber, plant-based candles, beeswax wraps, refillable glass bottles, natural shampoo bars, and zero-waste beauty products all qualify as eco-friendly Christmas gifts.
Christmas gift ideas: Holland & Barrett products
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