By Emily Cato-Symonds - Christmas will be upon us faster than we think!
So now is a good time to start planning ahead: This Christmas, will you be naughty or nice?
Abut 50,000 more tonnes of rubbish are sent to landfills in New Zealand in the week following Christmas. That's enough to fill 14,286 20-foot shipping containers. Stacking those containers one on top of the other would extend the height of Mount Everest three times, or the Sky Tower 105 times!
The good thing is that it doesn’t have to be this way. Thinking ahead means we can avoid being naughty and panic buying, and plan ways to make the holidays kinder on the planet.
Our friends at The Sustainability Trust have inspired us with their ideas for a less wasteful festive season. We've taken some of their ideas and added a few of our own to give you 10 simple low-waste ways to celebrate:
- Reduce your Christmas shopping by making gifts at home, such as tea blends, preserves, and baked goods; clothes that are knitted or crocheted; or homemade cosmetics such as body scrub.
- Give "experience gifts" rather than material items, such as taking someone on a picnic or to the beach; tickets to a movie, a massage or a concert.
- Op shop for gifts, decorations, and any extra plates, cutlery and cookware you might need.
- Reconsider whether you want to buy and receive so many gifts this year; speak with your extended family, friends, and coworkers about non-material gift options. Suggest asking for or gifting a Good Gift Card from The Good Registry so you and others can feel good giving to causes who need your support over the festive season.
- Avoid Secret Santa, which so often results in the exchange of mediocre, inexpensive, gimmicky, and/or undesirable gifts. You could use that 10 dollars on a Good Gift Card that could buy gift for a child who would otherwise go without, feed a family, or provide a safe-night this Christmas.
- Wrap your presents with reusable cloth. Alternatively, use repurposed and biodegradable materials to wrap your gifts, such newspaper and decorate with leaves, and flowers
- Opt for homemade treats rather than packaged ones wrapped in plastic.
- Use real crockery and cloth napkins rather than disposables.
- Stay away from glitter and tinsel, which release micro-plastics into the environment. Choose natural decorations like flowers, leaves, and pinecones. Additionally, you could create cloth bunting and paper chains.
- Take your own bags to the shops and reusable containers to supermarkets with bulk bins and delis.
We challenge you to use at least one of these tips! Be on Santa's good list this year 😉
For extra cred with Santa, share your favourite waste-free Christmas ideas with your family and friends. 🧑🏻🎄🎅🏻🤶
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