Forget about dreaming of a white Christmas, this year, we are dreaming of a green Christmas.
Christmas is one of the most wasteful times of the year. UK households will be throwing away more than 277,000 miles of Christmas wrapping paper – that’s enough to stretch to the moon.
Waste collection company, Biffa, also estimates that we create 30 per cent more rubbish than usual in the UK at this time of year, using more than 300,000 tonnes of card and sending more than 100 million bags of garbage to landfill. The addition of presents, cards, decorations and gifts into our lives during the month of December leaves an awful lot of waste, and something needs to be done about it.
Homemade dECOrations
One way in which you can cut back on your overall wastage at Christmas is by making your own decorations. Make decorations from scrap ribbon to create beautiful bows to adorn your tree, mould and paint salt dough to create personalised baubles, or use recycled paper to create paper chains.
Homemade decorations made using recyclable materials, such as fruits, paper etc, are far better than shop-bought plastic decorations that may break or be thrown out after just a few weeks of use. Plastic is polluting our oceans and contributing to our climate crisis. We all need to cut back on how much we are using, especially during this festive time, so why not embrace your creative side and make your own plastic-free decs.
Here are some great places where you can find step-by-step guides on how to make your own sustainable Christmas decorations:
HOUSE BEAUTIFUL DIY DECORATIONS: from filter coffee garlands, to mini houses, Hadley Mendelsohn gives some tips for cheap homemade decorations. Read more HERE
BBC GUIDE HOW TO MAKE food decorations: From fruity tree decorations to Peppermint & rose cream napkin decorations, you will learn how to make the most sustainable decorations that are also beautiful and festive. SEE MORE HERE
Wrap it up on the wrapping paper
Wrapping paper is one of the biggest contributors to waste during this period. Our gift wrapping bags eliminate the need for any wasteful paper, and can be reused and repurposed again and again. Designed by Preen and Giles Deacon, they feature beautiful prints that can be used all year round, are sustainably made in our factory in Pondicherry. Check out the range here.
Cut the cards
In the year of a Zoom Christmas, keep your festivities digital, including your cards. Paper cards account for an enormous amount of Christmas waste, so why not embrace our digital age and send an e-card. This means that you can still send your warm wishes to loved ones, but without the associated waste.
There are many more ways in which you can make your Christmas greener and we will be sharing plenty of tips and tricks to help you embrace your sustainable side over on our Instagram. From the 14th December we will be sharing our 12 days of sustainable Christmas tips, so be sure to check out our page here.