The most wonderful, wasteful time of year

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At this wonderful time of year, it is lovely to decorate our houses from top to bottom, buy lots of gifts for our loved ones and over indulge on food, but as a nation we are becoming more and more wasteful over the festive period, which is adding to the harm we are causing to the planet. With this in mind, here are some statistics on what we as a nation are producing at Christmas along with some solutions.


Christmas trees

Facts:

  • Approximately 8 million real Christmas trees are discarded in the UK each year adding approximately 12,000 tonnes of waste annually.
  • 14% of people dispose of their artificial tree each year adding to the waste problem.

Solutions:

  • If you buy a real Christmas tree, recycle it through your local council, or if you have a garden cut it up to make habitat for wildlife. In coastal areas of the country, Christmas trees are sometimes collected to help erosion projects and some farms and zoos take donations of Christmas trees for goats, alpacas and donkeys to enjoy a tasty treat.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/garden-inspiration/seasonal/farewell-christmas-tree

  • If you buy a potted Christmas tree and keep it watered, and in a cool place in the house over Christmas, you may be able to keep it going for several years with proper care throughout the year outside.
  • Some garden centres now offer to take your well looked after potted tree back after Christmas to be planted with others to create a forest.
  • A more expensive option is a potted Christmas tree rental service. After Christmas the tree goes back to them to be looked after for the rest of the year until coming back to you the following Christmas a bit taller!
  • Keeping an artificial tree for 10 years or more makes it a more sustainable option than buying a new tree each year. If you already have one, then keeping it is the most sustainable choice.
  • If you have houseplants, why not decorate them instead of having a Christmas tree.

https://hortology.co.uk/blogs/guides-to-greenery/houseplant-christmas-tree-alternatives


Gifting

Facts:

  • Around half of UK adults receive gifts they do not want at Christmas.
  • In the lead-up to Christmas, as parents plan to declutter in preparation, it’s expected that nine million toys end up in landfill.
  • Of all purchases made over the Christmas period in the UK, only 1% will still be in use six months after the big day.

Solutions:

  • Why not have a family meeting. Set a budget for gifts and ask one another for lists of things they would like like, so you can choose a gift that is wanted.
  • Buy ethical gifts - organic, free-trade, living wage, plastic-free and sustainable.
  • Buy local - when you buy local, more of your money stays in the local economy.
  • Buy experiences not things such as theatre, cinema or concert tickets, restaurant voucher, days out voucher or a membership to a museum or National Trust.
  • Donate to a charity your relative/friend loves on their behalf.
  • Give your time. Share your skills such as "Help decorating voucher" or "Help gardening voucher".
  • Buy second-hand gifts.
  • Make gifts either baking or crafting.
  • Avoid gifts with excessive packaging.
  • Focus on quality not quantity.

Ultimately, nothing is more important than the people we spend the festive period with. Enjoy the rest, some lovely winter walks and quality time with loved ones.


Wrapping presents

Facts:

  • We use around 227,000 miles of wrapping paper a year here in the UK, with the average household using 4 rolls.
  • A large proportion of wrapping paper can't be recycled as it contains plastics such as glitter or laminates.
  • We use 40 million rolls of sticky tape a year.
  • Traditional sticky tape is non biodegradable and can exist in the environment for hundreds of years, contributing to landfill waste and plastic pollution.
  • Because sticky tape is not recyclable it shouldn't be placed in recycling bins as it can contaminate other recyclable materials like wrapping paper.

Solutions:

  • Gift bags, either paper or fabric are a good alternative to wrapping paper and can be used again and again.
  • Why not use old comics, books or magazines for wrapping paper.
  • Brown wrapping paper looks natural and rustic, especially if natural twine or raffia is used to tie up the present instead of sticky tape.
  • Use fabric you have about the house to wrap - the Japanese art of furoshiki.
  • Boxes, jars, tubes, baskets - collected over time can be good for gift wrapping.
  • If you do opt for wrapping paper, looking for the FSC or PEFC logos is a great way to be sure that the paper comes from responsible sources.
  • Other options for sticky tape are brown paper tape or washi tape, just ensure that you buy biodegradable versions of these.
  • You could also decorate your presents with foraged fir cones, Holly, Ivy or pressed leaves.
  • Gift tags can be made from last year's Christmas cards, or for more reusable options you could try making tags from salt dough or air drying clay.

One last point on wrapping paper. When tidying up after unwrapping gifts from family and friends, please put any paper that is decorated with glitter or embossed with foil in your general waste bin as these cannot be recycled. If you have other wrapping paper you are not sure about you can do the scrunch test. Scrunch the wrapping paper into a ball – if it stays in a ball, it can be recycled, if it bounces back it has to go in the bin.

Finally, don't doubt the power our individual choices can have. Just imagine the impact we could all make if, together, we took small steps to reduce our waste over the festive period. Wishing you all a wonderful not wasteful festive season!

At this wonderful time of year, it is lovely to decorate our houses from top to bottom, buy lots of gifts for our loved ones and over indulge on food, but as a nation we are becoming more and more wasteful over the festive period, which is adding to the harm we are causing to the planet. With this in mind, here are some statistics on what we as a nation are producing at Christmas along with some solutions.


Christmas trees

Facts:

  • Approximately 8 million real Christmas trees are discarded in the UK each year adding approximately 12,000 tonnes of waste annually.
  • 14% of people dispose of their artificial tree each year adding to the waste problem.

Solutions:

  • If you buy a real Christmas tree, recycle it through your local council, or if you have a garden cut it up to make habitat for wildlife. In coastal areas of the country, Christmas trees are sometimes collected to help erosion projects and some farms and zoos take donations of Christmas trees for goats, alpacas and donkeys to enjoy a tasty treat.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/garden-inspiration/seasonal/farewell-christmas-tree

  • If you buy a potted Christmas tree and keep it watered, and in a cool place in the house over Christmas, you may be able to keep it going for several years with proper care throughout the year outside.
  • Some garden centres now offer to take your well looked after potted tree back after Christmas to be planted with others to create a forest.
  • A more expensive option is a potted Christmas tree rental service. After Christmas the tree goes back to them to be looked after for the rest of the year until coming back to you the following Christmas a bit taller!
  • Keeping an artificial tree for 10 years or more makes it a more sustainable option than buying a new tree each year. If you already have one, then keeping it is the most sustainable choice.
  • If you have houseplants, why not decorate them instead of having a Christmas tree.

https://hortology.co.uk/blogs/guides-to-greenery/houseplant-christmas-tree-alternatives


Gifting

Facts:

  • Around half of UK adults receive gifts they do not want at Christmas.
  • In the lead-up to Christmas, as parents plan to declutter in preparation, it’s expected that nine million toys end up in landfill.
  • Of all purchases made over the Christmas period in the UK, only 1% will still be in use six months after the big day.

Solutions:

  • Why not have a family meeting. Set a budget for gifts and ask one another for lists of things they would like like, so you can choose a gift that is wanted.
  • Buy ethical gifts - organic, free-trade, living wage, plastic-free and sustainable.
  • Buy local - when you buy local, more of your money stays in the local economy.
  • Buy experiences not things such as theatre, cinema or concert tickets, restaurant voucher, days out voucher or a membership to a museum or National Trust.
  • Donate to a charity your relative/friend loves on their behalf.
  • Give your time. Share your skills such as "Help decorating voucher" or "Help gardening voucher".
  • Buy second-hand gifts.
  • Make gifts either baking or crafting.
  • Avoid gifts with excessive packaging.
  • Focus on quality not quantity.

Ultimately, nothing is more important than the people we spend the festive period with. Enjoy the rest, some lovely winter walks and quality time with loved ones.


Wrapping presents

Facts:

  • We use around 227,000 miles of wrapping paper a year here in the UK, with the average household using 4 rolls.
  • A large proportion of wrapping paper can't be recycled as it contains plastics such as glitter or laminates.
  • We use 40 million rolls of sticky tape a year.
  • Traditional sticky tape is non biodegradable and can exist in the environment for hundreds of years, contributing to landfill waste and plastic pollution.
  • Because sticky tape is not recyclable it shouldn't be placed in recycling bins as it can contaminate other recyclable materials like wrapping paper.

Solutions:

  • Gift bags, either paper or fabric are a good alternative to wrapping paper and can be used again and again.
  • Why not use old comics, books or magazines for wrapping paper.
  • Brown wrapping paper looks natural and rustic, especially if natural twine or raffia is used to tie up the present instead of sticky tape.
  • Use fabric you have about the house to wrap - the Japanese art of furoshiki.
  • Boxes, jars, tubes, baskets - collected over time can be good for gift wrapping.
  • If you do opt for wrapping paper, looking for the FSC or PEFC logos is a great way to be sure that the paper comes from responsible sources.
  • Other options for sticky tape are brown paper tape or washi tape, just ensure that you buy biodegradable versions of these.
  • You could also decorate your presents with foraged fir cones, Holly, Ivy or pressed leaves.
  • Gift tags can be made from last year's Christmas cards, or for more reusable options you could try making tags from salt dough or air drying clay.

One last point on wrapping paper. When tidying up after unwrapping gifts from family and friends, please put any paper that is decorated with glitter or embossed with foil in your general waste bin as these cannot be recycled. If you have other wrapping paper you are not sure about you can do the scrunch test. Scrunch the wrapping paper into a ball – if it stays in a ball, it can be recycled, if it bounces back it has to go in the bin.

Finally, don't doubt the power our individual choices can have. Just imagine the impact we could all make if, together, we took small steps to reduce our waste over the festive period. Wishing you all a wonderful not wasteful festive season!