Christmas is a time for celebration with family and friends, giving and receiving gifts and sharing delicious festive fare.
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Unfortunately it can also be a time when we generate a lot more waste than normal. When preparing for Christmas let us think about how we can reduce the amount of waste we generate during the festive season.
Christmas trees and their decorations all have an impact on our environment. We can minimise this by making sure we acquire Christmas decorations that we are able and willing to use year after year.
Another low-waste solution is to make our own decorations and wrapping paper from reused items. Borrowing or swapping decorations with friends is another way to add variety to the Christmas season in a way that uses less resources than buying new decorations each year.
Think about waste when choosing the Christmas tree. Something that we grow in a pot that can be used year after year such as a Wollemi pine is a good choice.
Recent research has shown that many Christmas gifts are discarded and end up in landfill. We can avoid this happening if we take the time to find out what our recipients really want, making our gift less likely to end up in the bin. If this happens, the resources and energy that went into its production will be there too.
It is important to give gifts that are built to last, so that if your loved one tires of it he or she can pass it on to someone else. Other good gift ideas that don't create waste are those which give experiences, such as tickets to a show or balloon rides.
A lot of our friends will appreciate a homemade gift, which creates a more personal touch, and allows the giver to make use of resources they have made or produced themselves, such as home-produced jams.
Another waste-reducing idea for the giving of family gifts is the Chris Kringle concept, where givers can concentrate all their efforts on providing an extra special gift for just one person, rather than buying lots of ordinary presents, some of which will be in danger of going to waste.
Food wastage can increase over the Christmas period. If relegated to landfill, food waste can contribute significantly to greenhouse gases through the production of methane. Wasted food also equates to the waste of the resources and energy that have gone into its production and transportation.
Food wastage can be avoided through careful planning of Christmas menus to include the creative use of leftovers. Serving leftovers on Boxing Day is the best way we can reduce food waste at Christmas.