Christmas can be a difficult time to avoid plastic,
there are so many temptations and habits that we
are accustomed to, but, if you’ve been conscious
about your waste and your use of plastic for a whi-
le, you will have hopefully been starting to think of
ways to keep waste to a minimum at Christmas time
too. In case you need some last-minute inspiration,
have a look at these ideas:
1. Gifts.
Giving time and thought to your purchases this
year can make all the difference when trying to
aim for a zero waste or plastic-free Christmas.
There are so many great ways you can avoid un-
necessary plastic or waste when buying gifts and
you can reduce your carbon footprint along the
way too. For adults who like toiletries, opt for so-
lid soaps, shampoos and even lotion bars and try
to go to markets where you can buy locally-made
products, you can complement these with acces-
sories like natural loofah or wooden soap dishes.
Alternatively, give an experience gift such as a spa
treatment or tickets to the theatre, or even better,
make a donation to charity or sponsor something/
someone.
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2. Wrapping.
Remember the massive bin bag of wrapping paper
your household can accumulate just on Christmas
day? It is thought that in the UK alone the amount
of wrapping paper used (and then thrown away)
is enough to wrap around the equator 9 times!
(227,000 miles) And that’s just the UK... If you do
want to use wrapping paper, then opt for the most
natural ones that can be recycled when used and
avoid plasticised paper, ribbon or bows too. Another
idea is to wrap your presents in used fabric, newspa-
per or magazine pages for a funky twist, and instead
of sellotape, use jute string or strips of fabric from
old clothes that can be cut into strands. Additionally,
tell the recipient of your gift to be thoughtful about
how they use the wrapping and ask them to re-use
or recycle as best they can.
3. Decorations
While the decorations aisles in all the shops can
tempt you into upgrading your tree adornments or
changing the colour scheme this year, why not opt
for wooden, recycled, homemade or even edible
tree decorations and handmade paper ones for the
ceiling. There are a million posts and videos online
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to help you get inspiration and if you have children,
what better way to get prepared for Christmas than
by having a craft session together and teaching them
the importance of not buying plastic. Some of our
favourite tree decorations are ones we have been gi-
ven by others who have handmade them - they also
make excellent gifts.
4. Toys
If, like me, you have a son who loves Lego, it can
be really difficult to avoid plastic when children are
young. Coupled with electronic devices and games
and even many board games and craft kits coming
with plastic pieces or wrapped in plastic. It seems
like an impossible feat to achieve a plastic-free
Christmas for little ones. However, you could aim
to get a lot of gifts like these second-hand. Many
items like Lego and board games can be bought on
local ‘for sale’ online groups or via Ebay/Amazon’s
second-hand sections and the quality is often very
good. If everyone adopted this ideal, the demand ->
production -> waste would all reduce. You could also
consider getting wooden toys, books (second hand
even better) or fabric toys well as those which use
solar power or are made from recycled materials.
5. Food
This is another area where it can seem tricky to
avoid plastic and waste in general. Let’s stop and
have a think about the quantities we’re buying as
well as the packaging our food is coming in and try
to prevent waste. It’s becoming more and more well
known that the meat industry has a huge impact on
our environment. If you or your family are not ready
to ditch the meat from your dinner table, then at the
very least try to source your meat from local farms
and producers who will have a minimal impact on
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the environment and who have reared their animals
in the best possible way.
When it comes to the vegetables and trimmings,
visit your greengrocer or local market to ensure you
can buy the veg loose and not wrapped in unneces-
sary plastic. Try to also get locally-grown produce
and support your local organic farms where possible.
If you’re buying sauces and condiments - get glass
jars that can easily be reused or recycled and if you
have the time to make things from scratch, you’re
much more likely to reduce the packaging waste.
Most of all, enjoy the time with family and friends,
and be kind to the planet!
www.ecopassion.es
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