Tips for a More Sustainable Christmas

Christmas time celebrations can result in a lot of waste, but it is possible to have a great festive holiday without it costing the Earth. It sounds easy; use less, recycle more but this can be hard to put into practice when there are others’ expectations to take into consideration.

Here are some ideas you can try for a more sustainable festive period:

• Quality not quantity – a family Secret Santa is a great way to cut down of the number of gifts you have to source and unwanted items. This Christmas try to purchase items that the recipient really wants with value, purpose and meaning.
• Give an experience – collect memories rather than things. This is an opportunity to support your local businesses, culture or arts community and can also provide the opportunity to spend quality time together.
• Avoid excess packaging – Try to go for alternatives that use cardboard instead of plastic packaging, or better yet, buy locally made items so there is no packaging.
• Get creative with wrapping – avoid shiny or glittery paper as it's non-recyclable. Do the scrunch test- if the paper unfurls it can’t go in the paper recycling. Use paper tape or string for securing wrapping, instead of plastic tape.
• Cut your food waste – buy only what you need and try to buy local to avoid food miles. Sprouts, cabbages, leeks, pears and cranberries are some of the tasty fruits and veg you can buy locally in December. Freeze your leftovers so they don’t go to waste. Maybe try a new meat free options to further reduce your carbon footprint.
• For your tree and decorations – use what you already have. If you need new ones think carefully about what they are made from, how long they will last and how long you are likely to want to keep using them… Avoid tinsel, it sheds microplastics. Try dried fruit or popcorn garlands instead. You can rent a tree, it comes in a pot and will be planted out after the festive period. If you get a cut tree make sure it is recycled; Christmas trees can be disposed of in the green waste bins at any household recycling centre in Aberdeenshire.
• Turn festive lights off when sleeping to save energy and look out for solar powered ones if getting new outdoor lights.
• Turn your heating down a notch and dress for the season to keep costs and energy consumption under control.

Give yourself a pat on the back! Making sustainable changes can be challenging, especially at Christmas. Don’t feel frustrated if progress is slow, think back to last year and look at the changes you have made this year. It’s more important that we all try to be imperfect environmentalists, we are the real eco-warriors who can win this battle. Just do your best to do what you can, when you can. Keep at it and together we will make a difference.