It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but perhaps not the most environmentally conscious time of the year. While it may sound Scrooge-like, Christmas can be a very wasteful period – but there are things you can do to make your festivities greener.
We spoke to Dr Catherine Rolph, Lecturer in Environmental Engineering at the OU, to get some of her top tips for an eco-friendlier Christmas:
- A not-so-secret Santa can save having to buy and receive unwanted presents. Put names in a hat, set a budget and let others know what you would like. Alternatively set a small budget (£1) which will generate less waste than a bigger budget and chose presents that are useful, consumable or compostable.
- Approximately 108 million rolls of wrapping paper are disposed of each year in the UK. Think creatively about how you wrap gifts, second-hand scarves or other material can make presents look attractive and are also useful or can be donated. If you stick to traditional wrapping select paper, cards and tags without embellishments that can be recycled. You can add a “please recycle” me note on the tag. Cards and paper that include glitter or foil and paper that springs back when scrunched can’t be recycled.
- Around 40 million Christmas crackers are thrown away each year. Many are made of mixed materials that can’t be recycled and contain a plastic novelty that ultimately ends up in the bin. Many also use glitter which is a microplastic (a tiny fragment of plastic) that can end up polluting the environment. Try and buy plastic free recyclable crackers or make your own with useful or consumable personalised novelties.
- Over Christmas 74 million mince pies end up in the bin, most of which are still edible. Only buy what you can realistically consume or freeze and make a meal plan. Consider replacing at least one meat or dairy item in your Christmas lunch with a plant based alternative which will help lower the carbon footprint of your meal. Make sure that fats, oils and grease (FOG) are not poured down the plughole as they can cause blockages. You can dispose of small amounts of FOG your food waste bin or place in a sealed container into the general waste.
- Real trees can be composted, mulched or planted if it still has roots. If you don’t have space to plant a tree, Christmas tree rental is an option in some areas. An artificial tree can’t be recycled and it needs to be used for about 10 years before it has a lower carbon footprint than a real tree so hang on to it for as long as possible.
- Many people will be spending more time indoors over the Christmas period and using a wood burner or open fire to keep warm. Wood burning in homes lowers indoor air quality which could have negative health impacts. Even modern stoves can generate more small particulate matter than a lorry per unit of energy produced. If you do have a real fire make sure you have adequate ventilation, only burn kiln dried or seasoned wood and dispose of ashes carefully.
- Talk to your friends and family about changes you are making; this can help to normalise things and might influence them to make changes too!
