Tips on How to Have an Eco-Friendly Christmas with Recycling Strategies and More!
On the subject of the holidays, there’s generally two themes every family deals with – gift buying and consumption. Money’s going out and ‘stuff’ is coming in. Unfortunately, this creates a lot of waste in cardboard boxes, ornaments, wrapping paper and gift bags, excess food, packaging, and more.
Companies in waste management and disposal are put on high alert come the holidays, as we know full-well that there’s going to be a big uptick in waste the week following Christmas. Households and businesses can do more to minimize their waste without affecting the quality or atmosphere of their Christmas. We’ve chosen to give a quick account of some of the easier, simpler steps to take at caring for the environment and having an eco-friendly Christmas this year.
Shop locally
eCommerce has quite the pull and while buying gifts via online shopping can be tempting, shopping locally is much more eco-friendly. That’s because shopping online requires a lot more packaging and transportation, meaning more greenhouse gases and more waste in general. Seeking out local stores and gifts from places like vintage shops or thrift stores is where to go.
What’s the environmental impact of your Christmas gifts?
Consider the environment when purchasing Christmas and holiday gifts for family and friends. Buying products made from sustainable materials, choosing reusable products rather than single-use, and even doing something like picking up an e-reader instead of a collection of books all have a positive environmental impact.
Go without wrapping paper
For a lot of people, wrapping paper is a necessary part of Christmas but unfortunately, it’s not amazingly eco-friendly. Wrapping paper is essentially just fancy waste paper. Reduce your footprint by either not using wrapping paper at all or repurposing newspapers, flyers, or other papers in the place of purpose-bought materials.
Still want to buy wrapping paper? Make sure it’s recyclable!
What makes wrapping paper unrecyclable is any glitter, dye, plastic, or foil included. If you absolutely must buy wrapping paper, you will want to ensure it’s a recyclable design. They do make recyclable wrapping paper for Christmas, giving you the same ability to wrap like a superstar but without the ramifications it usually takes on the environment.
Be cautious about how much food you buy
Maybe you’ve never had this problem at your house but roughly 7 in 10 Canadians admit to buying more food than they need during the holiday season. We get it. The holidays are a time for merriness, indulgence, and to be festive! While we don’t want to take away from that, ask yourself when you’re buying a box of cookies or something similar whether it’s needed or just accompaniment.
Make a Christmas donation!
Especially if you have kids, making a donation to a local thrift store or charity is an encouraging eco-friendly holiday act. In this vein, maybe you want to look around your home for items or products you received last year that you haven’t used or other goods you no longer want. Removing these and giving them to a charity or family in need may make someone else’s Christmas a lot more special.
Do not use single-use plates and cutlery
You may not want to be doing any dishes on Christmas but heck, set them aside for December 26 instead. Single-use plastics, cutlery, plates, and other plastics are entirely unnecessary and environmentally problematic. Choose to use the real thing rather than going for plastic disposables.
Do crafts instead of buying new ornaments
At Christmastime we have the ability to do some pretty heavy buying on ornaments and decorations. Although a lot of them are reusable, a lot are also non-biodegradable and made from plastics. Instead of going to these commercially-branded non-recyclables, create some decorations or ornaments yourself. Choose to go about a craft-friendly Christmas! You’d be surprised by how much money you can save doing crafts at home and the positive impact this choice will have on the environment.
Don’t buy an artificial tree
Artificial Christmas trees have been promoted as an eco-friendly alternative to purchasing an authentic tree from a farm however the truth is that the more environmentally friendly option between the two is real over artificial.
Artificial Christmas trees are made from plastics and oil-based products, usually manufactured overseas and having to be transported to cities like Toronto, they can’t be composted, and they can’t be recycled. The David Suzuki Foundation has even come out stating Canadians should avoid purchasing trees made of these PVC plastics which are non-environmentally friendly.
Compare that to natural, real Christmas trees which grow on these farms for up to 15 years, producing oxygen and which are recyclable. Although this is perhaps a controversial sentiment to some, purchasing a real Christmas tree from a local Ontario farmer gets you something recyclable and is supporting local industry.
Recycle your real Christmas tree
After Christmas is done, don’t be letting your Christmas tree go to the landfill. Instead, seek out local organizations or drop-offs collecting them. There are generally many places offering to recycle your Christmas tree. They end up cut down and reused in a number of paper or wood products.
Choose solar-powered lights or LEDs
Did you know some parts of the Earth are up to 50 percent visibly brighter from NASA satellites between end of November and New Year’s Day – it’s true! This demonstrates a lot of energy in process of being used. Instead of wasting this energy on traditional, non-environmentally sustainable lights, switch to either solar-powered lights or energy-efficient LEDs. This is an easy choice to make, with the majority of lights being sold in stores these days already being energy-efficient.
Will you be having an eco-friendly Christmas?
An eco-friendly Christmas is challenging but fully possible! Look around your home this holiday season and ask yourself what opportunities exist to create a beautifully sound, environmentally sustainable Christmas. Many are often surprised by how much waste their households create at this time of year and how much of it can be switched out for more eco-friendly Christmas alternatives. Although some of these eco-friendly tips might be unexpected, they can make a real difference in the world and to our environment.
Core Mini Bins is passionate about an environmentally friendly Christmas and holiday season. Opportunities exist for improving current waste creation, management, and disposal practices around the busiest time of year. Let’s help protect our environment, with an eco-friendly holiday.
