Christmas is one of the most wasteful events of the entire year…
Aussies spend over $16.2 billion at Christmas time, so that’s a huge amount of money that is literally being thrown in the bin. Everything from food to wrapping paper and gifts are chucked out following the big day.
To prevent the wastefulness associated with Santa’s annual visit, we’ve rounded up a bunch of tips to make your Christmas more environmentally friendly…
1. Only buy food that will be eaten + use all your leftovers.
Once people realise that supermarkets are often closed for a few days over Christmas, they have a tendency to go overboard with their purchases. It’s not the apocalypse, people – it’s just Christmas! While it’s tempting to buy lots of “just in case” food, it often goes to waste. Combat this by planning all your meals before heading to the supermarket, write a detailed shopping list and only buy what you need.
Still, if you are left with leftover food following the ham and turkey frenzy, make it your priority to eat your leftovers before buying more. Every year around 1.3 billion tonnes of edible food is wasted around the world, so it’s important to be extra vigilant at a time when there is so much available to you.
2. Avoid single use utensils.
While we advocate against the use of single use items, it’s especially important to keep this in mind at Christmas. It might be tempting to use plastic cutlery and plates at your festive shindig, but keep in mind that these all end up in landfill. And, instead of using paper napkins, opt for hankies from your local charity shop – cute and reusable!
3. Give experiences as gifts.
Can you remember what gifts you received last Christmas? Probably not. Instead of buying plastic wrapped presents this year, try to gift your loved ones experiences that they’ll never forget. Otherwise, try to source quirky gifts that are pre-loved or second hand as something a little different.
4. Opt for recycled wrapping paper.
If you’re giving physical gifts this year, try to be creative with what you wrap them in. Scarves and leftover fabric are great options for reusable wrapping, otherwise opt for recycled wrapping paper. There are stacks of online companies which offer quirky and environmentally friendly paper which can actually be recycled afterwards.
5. Rethink your tree + decorations.
Having a fresh Christmas tree is a wonderful perk of the season and luckily, fresh trees can be recycled by the council or chopped up and used for firewood. If you already own an artificial tree, try to keep using that for as long as possible to prevent it from ending up in the bin. Otherwise, using a pot plant as your tree is an option and it will last you well beyond the festive season. As for decorations, try to keep it as simple as possible and use whatever you currently own. The less you throw away the better!
0 comments :
Post a Comment