How to Reduce Waste During the Festive Season

Christmas can be a time of unnecessary waste. There are plastic decorations, wrapping paper, cards, unwanted gifts, not to mention the copious amounts of food waste. Below you'll find a few simple ways of reducing waste during this time.

Lets start with decorations...

Nature is a great source of inspiration for simple ornaments for the tree or around the house.

I have used the cones above for nearly a decade. The extra treat is that they open up in the heat which results in a magical crackling in the house.

Taking a nature walk and gathering fallen branches or pine trees is a great way of using what is free and everything can go back into the land when the season is over. I used the pine tree branches for wreathes and to decorate the mantelpiece.

This year I added a few little gingerbread men to the mantlepiece display.

That brings us onto table settings. Same rule applies, just keep it simple and natural and objects that can be utilised year after year.

The above wood is from a free pallet I found, dyed with coffee and filled with candles and nature.

Next is gifts....

The above basket was the result of a Christmas present last year. I received a basket weaving workshop. I learned a new skill and had something functional at the end. A gift can be an experience. Maybe a concert that you and your friend can go to together or even a meal to enjoy.

You can also ask your friends for no gifts please and could they give the money instead to a charity of their choice. Sometimes we buy gifts for the sake of it and yet we have so much in life already.

Another idea is the gift of food or something you made with love and finally plants from clippings in your house can be a gift that can last forever once it is looked after properly!

What about all the gifts you get and the containers they come in. I do my best to reuse these around the house for storing different objects.

Cards are another object of waste. If they contain glitter or plastic, they can't be recycled and will sit on landfill for years upon years, breaking down into smaller particles that end up in the ocean where the fishes eat the plastic thinking it is food.

Next is wrapping...