The holidays are fast approaching and many of us are looking forward to spending time with our loved ones, sharing gifts, and creating beautiful memories. While it’s a joyous time, it’s also a time to be mindful of how our wrapped gifts, plastic ribbons, and holiday snacks will impact the planet.
According to Zero Waste Canada, our household waste can increase by more than 25% during the holiday season. That’s a lot of waste entering our landfills. By taking a few extra steps such as ensuring we gift consciously or opting for sustainable alternatives, we can enjoy this Christmas knowing we did our part to help the planet. Here are 7 easy ways you can enjoy an eco-friendly Christmas.
Our planet simply cannot sustain our “shop ‘til we drop” mentality. We all need to reduce the amount of stuff we buy. By reducing our shopping we will also have more time for family and friends. It’s a win-win, isn’t it?
zero waste canada, zero waste christmas.
1) Gift Consciously Feel good about your gifts this year by gifting consciously. If you’re unsure about what to buy someone, consider something practical. Whether it’s taking someone out for a cup of coffee, lunch, or giving them a gift card. You can even choose to purchase one digitally, which minimizes packaging and the plastic card itself. These practical gifts will certainly be appreciated and utilized vs. items that may sit around or end up in the landfill.
2) LED Lighting If you haven’t already, consider replacing your incandescent bulbs with energy efficient lighting for your holiday decorations. LED bulbs not only last longer, but they’re resistant to breakage, use less energy, and reduce the risk of fire as they produce less heat. It’s a great investment to reduce the cost of your energy bill and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.
3) Gift Wrapping There’s nothing more exciting than wrapping gifts for the holidays, but did you know that most commercial wrapping paper isn’t recyclable? Luckily, there are practical and sustainable alternatives such as furoshiki (Japanese wrapping cloths) and reusable tote bags.
Did you know? Canadians use 6 million rolls of tape to wrap up Christmas presents every year.
RELATED POST: 4 Sustainable Gift Wrap Alternatives for the Holidays
4) Prepare Your Recyclables As mentioned previously, most commercial wrapping papers are not recyclable. Take a few moments this holiday season to properly sort through what is recyclable and what isn’t. By putting items in the right place, you’re helping your local recycling facility with a smoother sorting process.
RELATED POST: How to Prepare Your Recyclables in 3 Easy Steps
5) Reuse What You Can Once you’re done sorting through what can be recycled, consider what items can be reused. These can be ribbons, bows, gift bags, and more. Rather than sending them straight to the landfill, ask yourself if you can reuse these items for another occasion or for personal crafts.
6) Carpool or Use Transit If you’re heading to a Christmas party this year, visiting friends or family nearby, consider carpooling or using public transporation. Not only are you choosing a more sustainable way to get around, but you’re also saving money on gas and possible parking fees.
Slight alterations to your transportation this Christmas will directly lead to lower costs from your holiday festivities, and will allow you to spend more time and money on the things that matter the most!
global action plan, sustainable christmas.
7) Support Companies That Give Back Last but certainly not least, let’s support companies that give back. Whether they’re taking the initiative to use less packaging, offer a recycling program, or give back the community, we as consumers can lead the way by showing our support for companies that care about our planet.
What sustainable tips will you be using this holiday season? Are there any that you’d like to add to this list? I’d love to hear your thoughts! The facts shared on this post are from Zero Waste Canada, which is a non-profit grassroots organization. To learn more, please visit their website here.
I loved your idea to use reusable tote bags to help wrap gifts. In addition to cutting down on waste, this also saves so much time and money!
Thank you Heidi! I love tote bags because they can be reused again and again for many years to come. Thank you for reading!
These are great ways to be eco-friendly around the holidays. I’m all for gifting (and receiving) digital gift cards that way my giftee can choose what they would actually use. Also, this is a good reminder that some wrapping paper isn’t recyclable, and I specifically purchased wrapping paper which is, and I’m also reusing some gift bags for gifts as well.
That’s so wonderful that you’ve picked out specific wrapping paper that is recyclable! Thank you for reading Karalee!
These are great tips! We try to reuse as much as possible.
That’s awesome to hear! There’s so much we can always reuse during the holidays. Thank you for reading!
These are all great suggestions. LED lights is a really good one, they use so much less energy
It’s such a great swap to make, especially for the tree because they stay cool! Thank you for reading Wendy!
I love all these suggestions – they are so helpful! I actually saw some large canvas gift bags with Christmas prints on them which could be used for decades! Thanks for sharing these tips! Have a wonderful weekend!
Me too! I saw them at Marshalls for the first time and will definitely be buying some next year. Thank you for reading Jodie! I hope you’re enjoying your weekend!
This is such an endearing post! I love that you thought about being eco-friendly while gifting. My favorite is buy a coffee and going out, it creates such a memorable moment which is the best kind of gifts!
Thank you so much Marie! Experience gifts are definitely the best!
I like to use brown wrapping paper for Christmas presents, it will only be ripped apart when people open their presents! Some great ways to be eco-friendly this Christmas! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Brown paper is a great idea because it can be reused or recycled afterwards! Thanks for reading Lucy!
This is a great topic with some valuable tips! I love the part about gifting consciously. It’s a good idea to give thoughtful gifts which will fill a purpose in someone’s life rather than chasing after the coolest gadgets. Digital gifts always make a great fit such as a Netflix or Spotify subscription. Thank you for sharing!
Yes, digital gifts are great! Like you mentioned subscriptions to Netflix or Spotify are perfect examples. Thank you for reading Vanelle!
This is really great; I think we can all make Christmas more eco-friendly and your ideas/tips prove this. There is much we can do so this was a perfect reminder to make these changes.
It’s such an important thing to look out for, especially during the holidays where the waste tends to accumulate. Thank you for reading Molly!
Christmas does present more waste but seeing how more in black and white is an eye opener. That’s reason enough to be more eco friendly.
Absolutely! It’s definitely jarring how much waste comes with the holidays. Thanks for reading!
Great post and great tips! I’m already doing some of these things. I made it my aim this year to go mostly plastic free with my gifts & wrapping and buy from sustainable & small businesses. I also reuse anything that cant be recycled like bows or gift bags. I’ve even got reusable crackers this year!
I’m so happy to hear that Coralle! What a great way to spread holiday cheer by supporting sustainable and small businesses. I had no idea there were reusable crackers! I’ll have to look into it. Thank you for reading!
These are such good tips. I’ve got a few friends I don’t do ‘presents’ with, we do days out together with our children. I’d much rather that, than something material. I’ve been buying from charity shops too this Christmas for the first year. I’ve managed to pick up some brilliant things. Excellent post! I love the idea of reusable gift wrap. I wish I’d thought about that this year. Fab post!
Claire.X
That’s great to hear Claire! Spending a day out with friends is such a wonderful idea, and I find it to be more meaningful than physical gifts. I also love the idea of buying from charity shops! Thanks for reading!