Christmas Sustainability Tips

Published on 10 December 2024

We are finally starting to wind up 2024 and many of us will be looking forward to Christmas celebrations with family and friends.  But the festive season means many different things to everyone.  For some of us it is a time to catch up with family and friends and enjoy long celebrated traditions while for others it is time to take a break after a long year.  Whatever it is to you, it is also an opportunity to walk more lightly on our planet - waste less, purchase more thoughtfully and with the environment in mind.

Here are some tips to help with that.

Gifts with meaning

While it is nice to be able to give gifts, you don't have to break the bank to do it.  If you are having a big family gathering, rather than buying something for everyone, have a Kris Kringle or Secret Santa and allocate one gift per person with a fixed limit for spending.  Just remember that not everyone may be in the financial position to afford to give a gift this year - so this may help.

Remember the gift does not need to be a 'thing' either.  It might be something you will do - like washing the car for them or making a nice dinner.  Experiences like concert tickets or perhaps a voucher to a local café or restaurant might also be a good option.

Tree choices - real vs fake

Plastic Christmas trees are reusable but real trees are more sustainable.  Unfortunately, plastic trees are often not designed to last a long time these days, so they are often sent to landfill and not recycled.  Real trees are a renewable resource, they are usually locally grown and boost the air quality in your home.  Having said that, people are starting to get very creative with their Christmas decorations - using all sorts of recycled alternatives for Christmas trees - so give it some thought and get creating.   

It is all in the wrapping

While it is very much a part of the fun of Christmas, one of the biggest sources of waste each Christmas is wrapping paper.  We use more that 8,000 tonnes each year - that is about 50,000 trees!  Alternatives to wrapping paper are reusable gift boxes, newspaper for an artistic look, the Japanese method of Furoshiki or fabric wrapping or environmentally friendly wrapping paper.

Steer clear of metallic or glossy wrapping paper, as this kind of material is difficult to recycle and hard to reuse.

Throughout the year, consider keeping the wrapping paper from presents that are given to you and your family to reuse it at Christmas.  Large wrapped presents usually have enough wrapping paper to wrap 2 or 3 smaller gifts.

The Christmas aftermath

Hopefully, once you've implemented all the above tips you won't have a lot of waste to think about!  But once the holidays are over, make a conscious effort to store away what you can to reuse it next year.  Things like wrapping paper, decorations and Christmas lights can be stored away and used year after year.  The initial purchase might be cheap, so it can be tempting to just buy fresh ones next time, but it's that consumer behaviour that's fueling the environmental challenges we have today.

Hopefully some of these eco-friendly tips will help you reduce the impact that you have on the environment while still enjoying the benefits of sharing Christmas with family and friends.