Eco-friendly Christmas Ideas

AD, GIFTED | Chirstmas is a joyous time of year for most people full of celebrations, spending time with loved ones, and of course gifts. But it’s also a very wasteful time of year too. In fact the UK on average produces 30% more rubbish than any other time of year.

Of course there’s no right or wrong way to celebrate the Christmas period, however, if you’re looking for a more eco-friendly Christmas this year, then I have a few ideas for you. From gifts to wrapping and more.

Eco-friendly Christmas Ideas

Gifts

When it comes to gift buying I try to utilise charity or thrift shops, which not only gives new life to some second-hand products, but can also save you money too. Another great alternative is to buy your gifts from local or independent retailers such as Etsy who often offer unique handmade gifts, perfect for anyone on your list.

If you’re looking to reduce the amount of gift related waste this Christmas, then you could go one step further, and look at an eco-friendly gift as well. There are many sustainable gifts out there from funky beeswax wraps (which are a great alternative to cling film or tin foil) to plastic-free subscription boxes.

BlueRock bamboo toothbrushes* offer a great range of adult and child bamboo toothbrushes. Which are either sold singularly as a one-off purchase or as subscription boxes with 1/2/3-4 month delivery intervals, and include free UK delivery.

All their products are made from FSC-certified bamboo handles which are home compostable and biodegradable. Each toothbrush comes in plastic-free packaging, and whats more the company make a donation to the marine life conservation, for every toothbrush sold. So not only are their products great for the environment, they’re also giving back to, which is something I can definitely get behind.

Use code XMAS15 to receive 15% off your order

If your family is anything like mine then after Christmas dinner activities mean playing board games. We have our old favourites like Cluedo and Monopoly (fandom themed of course), but are always on the look out for something new to try. So when I was asked if I’d like to try out new eco-friendly board game ‘Nudge*‘, I couldn’t resist.

Nudge is an incredibly simple but addictive game made of entirely recyclable materials. The box itself is also made from FSC-certieid fluted kraft board, making it recyclable too, which I love. It’s a two player game, very similar to the likes of Chess, so perfect for couples. Or you could also get a tournament going – winner of each round plays each other? I’m looking forward to playing this one with my family after Christmas dinner.

With every purchase of the game, the people at Nudge, give one percent of their sales to The Woodland Trust – because, lets be honest, the game wouldn’t be possible without trees. 🙂

What are some of your favourite after dinner board games?

Another great option to consider is experience gifts from shows (such as theatre or movies), to mini staycations, or even classes (like cooking or painting). There really is something for everyone, and with voucher websites like Groupon, they can also be very affordable.

Gift Wrapping

Now you’ve picked out you gifts it’s time to wrap them, right? And with so many supermarkets and discount stores offering an array of wrapping paper designs, it seems like an easy choice to make. However, I didn’t discover this until recently, but not all gift wrap is recyclable! You’d think it is as it’s paper but a lot of it is either coated in plastic or covered in glitter which means it can’t be recycled. So instead look at more eco-friendly packing methods which I think gives a much more personal touch to your gifts, e.g.

• Use brown paper which you can decorate with string or twine, stamps, or foliage such as holly.
• Skip the paper and pop ypur present in a fabric gift bag? Or if you’re crafty, try sewing your own.
• Wrap your gifts in fabric.

And when it comes to gift tags, my mum and I always make ours from any Christmas cards we’ve received the previous year. Which leads us on to…

Christmas Cards

The best option would be to have a go at making your own from recyclable card stock and stencils, or, eco-friendly e-cards instead. I’ve heard great things about Paperless Post E-cards.

Switch to LED Christmas lighting

Not only are they better for the environment, they’re usually more cost effective too, with LED lights use 75% less energy than incandescent lights. Which is ideal at this expensive time of year.

Food waste

When you start writing your Christmas food shopping list it’s a good idea to also include how you’ll deal with any leftovers, e.g.:

• Freeze – make sure you leave room in the freezer!
• Use-up in different recipes, such as curries or chillies.
• Donate unopened, nonperishable, food to a food bank

And if you’re throwing a party, try using dinner plates, crockery and fabric napkins, rather than throw away paper or plastic alternatives.

Do you have any other eco-friendly Christmas ideas? Let me know in the comments. 🙂