Your Complete Guide to a Zero Waste Christmas
Waste production goes up by 25% during the holiday season. (Source) This is not an insignificant number. From disposable dishware, plastic-wrapped food, unwanted gifts, cheap stocking stuffers, single-use wrapping and more! It truly is the most wasteful time of the year.
For most of us, unknowingly choosing convenient options creates more waste since our lives can get more hectic during this season. This post teaches you how to cut waste in every area without disrupting the joy with your very own zero waste Christmas!
Your Complete Guide to a Zero Waste Christmas
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1. Food
Whether you’re hosting or bringing food to a party, there are ways to be more environmentally cautious about this!
First, try to go plant-based. It’s not for everyone, I know. But try to include a plant-based dish or snack or two. Eating plant-based naturally has a smaller carbon footprint and is a simple way to be more eco-friendly.
Second, choose bulk or make from scratch! You can also do both at the same time. Instead of picking up a dessert or dish, make it at home and bring it in a reusable container. Sometimes this is the last thing we have time for. But try to budget time and make it a part of your holiday experience. Bonus points if you use bulk ingredients!
Third, choose better packaging. When it comes to ingredients or items from the store, opt for better packing options over plastic. Look for cardboard, glass, or tin packaging!
2. Decor
It’s a lot easier to be sustainable with your decor than you may think. While most decor isn’t naturally sustainable, reusing it sure is! We live in a consumer-driven world that teaches us we need new decor every single year. It’s simply not true. Christmas isn’t going out of style any time soon. Re-use what you had last year! If you need new decor, try to thrift it! Trust me, the thrift stores are full of Christmas decor every single year. If you do need to buy new, make sure you choose well and it’s something you’ll love to reuse year after year.
3. Wrapping paper
While wrapping paper is so cute and can be so festive, it’s also incredibly wasteful! It’s quite literally single-use that gets torn up and sits in our landfills for decades.
Some better options would be recyclable wrapping paper, brown craft paper, (you can draw, use stamps and get super creative with it!) reusable bags and boxes, cloth wrapping or newspaper!
4. Gifts
Not all gifts are inherently wasteful. But sometimes we don’t give much thought to our gift giving or leave it till the last minute and get something out of convenience. Not to mention the number of little gift sets for easy consumption that flood the shelves.
To save waste, consider the following: Edible gifts, experience gifts, or simply things you know the recipient will want! Try to also not fill stockings with cheap, small-sized junk! Give thoughtful, exciting things this year over waste!
More resources:
- Eco friendly gift ideas
- Second hand gift ideas
- DIY Zero waste gift ideas
- Sustainable stocking stuffers
And now you’re ready to enjoy the holiday season without creating excess waste! Make sure you save and share this guide so others can also have a zero waste Christmas!
