Tips for Less Wasteful Holidays
Tips for Less Wasteful Holidays
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The holidays can be one of the most difficult times of year when you are trying to live greener and less wastefully. All the packaging, wrapping, gasoline spent running from store to store…it all adds up. There are many ways to still enjoy the season while staying true to your desire for less wasteful holidays. Here are a few simple tips:
Low-waste holiday decorating
- Save energy on your lights. If you like to put up string lights, consider attaching a timer to turn them off at a set time so as not to waste energy. You can switch to low-energy LED lights for even more cost and energy savings. And limit yourself to a few strings thoughtfully placed. Who wants their house to look like the Griswold’s anyway? And did you know you can also recycle those old broken Christmas lights?
- Stick to natural touches. Make a wreath from materials you can find and cut from your own property. Put some evergreen branches on the mantle and hang stockings. Place a glass jar of pinecones as your table centerpiece and light some candles. Simple touches like these can go a long way to creating a festive atmosphere without having to use any plastic or disposable items.
- Say no to Poinsettias. Although they are lovely and traditional, they are not eco-friendly, since most come from California and that trip wastes a lot of energy.
- Real trees are probably better than fake. It’s hard to make an exact comparison, especially when it depends on where your tree (real or fake) comes from, but if you buy a local tree and you or your community composts it, it’s a fairly renewable resource.
Low-waste parties and meals
- Avoid plastic dinnerware. If you are hosting a holiday party, plan ahead with plates and cutlery that can be washed and reused rather than plasticware or paper plates. If you are having a lot a people, stick to finger foods that don’t require any silverware, that will save you some cleanup work. Set up a tub full of soapy water for guests to deposit their plates when finished so you can continue to enjoy the party and worry about cleanup later.
- Buy local meat. If you’re a meat-eater and plan to have a juicy turkey, ham or other meats, you can considerably cut down on the environmental impact by choosing to buy from small local farmers.
- Instead of Secret Santa, ask people to bring a story. Your party will be truly memorable if you ask everyone to contribute their funniest story, or tell how they met someone else at the party, or share a favorite holiday memory. So much better than getting another candle or potholder!
Low-waste gift-giving
- Give less stuff, give more time. I come from a big family, and years ago, we decided the gift-giving was getting out of hand. Now we pull names at Thanksgiving (this is for the adults, not kids), and we each buy for one person and get a gift from one person. It is much less stressful and less wasteful!
- Buy antiques and pre-owned items. Just because something isn’t brand new doesn’t mean it can’t still make a great gift. Vintage stuff and antiques are especially cool. Plus you can keep from contributing to our cultural obsession with over-producing stuff by buying used books, clothes, furniture, jewelry and more. Plus which, thrifting can be really fun when you stumble upon that great find!
- Give reclaimed and upcycled gifts. There are plenty of artisans out there who are making an effort to create cool and unique items by repurposing or sprucing up old, discarded stuff. You’ll be supporting a small business while giving new life to an object that may have otherwise ended up in the landfill. I have some recommendations of eco-friendly, upcycled and low waste gifts here.
- Give experiences. Consider giving cooking classes to the food lover, concert tickets to the music lover, or a massage or facial to someone who could use some pampering. Or how about private instruction in beer brewing, a day trip to an interesting location, membership in a rock climbing gym – get creative! There are so many fun experiences that can be catered to the unique interests of your loved ones. Here are some more ideas for experience gifts from Uncommonly Well.
- Give food! Who doesn’t love some home-baked goodies? Or a basket stocked with local treats? Or a gift certificate to their favorite restaurant? We all gotta eat.
Wrapping gifts the low-waste way
- Check to see what you already have. Before you buy any more wrapping paper or ribbons or gift bags, check your stash. You may find you have more than enough supplies to wrap all your gifts already.
- Get creative with wrapping. Gift bags from past holidays can be reused. Plain brown paper from grocery bags can be ironed out and used as wrapping, then dressed up with twine, evergreen branches and pinecones. Food gifts can be wrapped up in a pretty napkin or tea towel that can be reused. Edibles can also be put in leftover jars or wrapped in compostable parchment paper.
- Buy some reusable fabric gift bags. Adorable handmade fabric gift bags like these can be reused over and over again. The recipients of your gifts will love getting them because it’s like a gift inside a gift!
- Make sure your wrapping paper is recyclable. If you do use wrapping paper, see below for the types that are NOT recyclable and avoid those.
Gift boxes, packing materials, bags and wrapping – what can be recycled?
- A lot of gift wrapping is NOT recyclable. Anything that is shiny and laminated, textured, glittery or metallic is not recyclable. Try crushing it into a ball. Does it stay crushed? If not, it is not recyclable and will just contaminate the other paper, so leave it out. If it stays in a ball and doesn’t have glitter or metallic parts, it should be okay.
- Flatten and recycle those cardboard boxes. Just don’t leave them out in the rain.
- A few bits of tape and labels on your wrapping and boxes are okay. But get rid of any large sections that are absolutely covered by tape and/or labels if you can’t remove them.
- What about bubble wrap, styrofoam, shipping envelopes and more? Check out A Guide to Recycling Packaging Materials for advice on how to deal with all the other stuff that comes with your packages and gifts this time of year.
Here’s wishing you happy and less wasteful holidays!
[ This article was originally posted on Dec. 16, 2019 and updated on Nov. 16, 2022 ]
