Make this festive season green

The festive season is a great time to relax and recharge and spend time with loved ones but it can also cause money stress and create a lot of waste and unnecessary climate damaging emissions. We have compiled some tips and advice to make sure this season is friendlier to your wallet and the planet. Small changes can have a big impact and you may even make a new festive tradition!

Gifts

Buying gifts can be expensive and stressful and many gifts are often unwanted and end up in landfill.

Buy less

• Take the pressure off each other to buy things - agree with extended family or your growing list of friends not to exchange gifts
• Start a Secret Santa so everyone is only buying one gift (with a spending limit) and allow people to then swap the gifts they receive so everyone gets something they want.
• Upcycle, repurpose and regift items you already have but no longer use.

Buy better

• Say no to excess packaging
• Shop local to avoid transport/delivery fess and emissions
  • Find local ethical gift suppliers from Buy Social Scotland
  • Buy refurbished technology from Edinburgh Remakery (give them your old kit to recycle too)
  • Find out where local farmers' markets and farm shops are
• Ask your loved ones for lists of gifts they actually want and need
• Plan before you hit the shops, to make sure you only buy the things you need.
• If gifting something that requires batteries, choose rechargeable batteries
• Keep the receipts so unwanted gifts can be returned.

Secondhand shops and online auction sites

• Great ways to discover meaningful, pre-loved gifts for far less than brand new.
• They help you avoid waste and are great for stocking fillers for children.

Make your own gifts

• Be it a tasty treat or crafty surprise, it’s a good way of giving a thoughtful gift without the waste and price tag.

Gift memberships, experiences or even your time

• Create moments that will be remembered for someone you care about, without the extra stuff.
• Sign up your loved up for a library card and gift them an endless supply of books, audiobooks, magazines and more.
• Gift vouchers for your time or skills like babysitting, gardening, painting, moving house, sewing lessons. 
• Fix something broken instead of buying a replacement. Borrow any tools you may need from the Edinburgh Tool Library, to try and fix it yourself. 
• Gift experiences like gig tickets, a fitness class, a day at the zoo etc.
• Make a donation to a charity of choice as a thoughtful gift.

Wrapping gifts

• Avoid buying wrapping paper with glitter or foil as it can’t be recycled
• Unwrap gifts carefully, remove tape and tags and keep to re-gift next year.
• Create unique, funky gift wrapping from scrap material, brown paper or newspaper. 
• Use fabric including pillowcases, tea towels or t-shirts to wrap gifts

Christmas cards

• Send fewer if possible to save on the use of all that card and the envelopes and the transport emissions of the actual postal journey.
• Send e-cards or a festive email or video instead
• Avoid cards with glitter and foil or electronics as these cannot be recycled.
• Deliver by hand on foot or by bike if possible to those on your list living locally.

Food

Collectively, people living in Scotland could save more than £90 million by not wasting food this festive season. That's a saving of £38 for every household in Scotland.

• Plan meals and only buy the food you need to cut down on waste.
• Let guests know what to bring to avoid buying too much food. Ask them to bring specific items and the right amount. This will avoid any necessary food waste.
• If you have leftovers, use check out love food hate waste for tasty recipes. Turkey sandwiches or Turkey curry anyone? Pop leftovers in the freezer to enjoy Christmas dinner in March! 
• Plant-based food is also a good 'green' option, reducing carbon waste. Doesn't have to be the full meal, just add some plant-based options. Check out Love Food Hate Waste for ideas. 
• When hosting, if you need to buy lots of plates and cups – opt for compostable variety rather than single use plastic lined items or use empty and cleaned out jars for cups.
• Use your food waste bin for all food waste including turkey bones, vegetable peelings, fruit peels and nut shells.
• Eat local – avoid food miles – such delicious local produce
• Avoid excess packaging
• Use reusable shopping bags
• When your oven is on a lot at this time of year and your house full of guests, you can turn your thermostat down a degree or two and still be toasty while saving on heating bills.
• Slow cookers are great for cooking big meals while using less energy.
• Plan ahead so when your oven is on, its full. Batch cook multiple dishes at once and cook puddings or mince pies alongside your dinner.

Travel

Often at this time of year we travel across the country and beyond to be with friends and family.

• Take the train or public transport if possible
• If driving, pack light and avoid roof-boxes to burn less fuel on the trip
• Avoid busy travel times and days so you aren’t using petrol sitting in traffic
• Look into ride share options if available
• Zoom call your loved ones if they are far away

Decorations

• If you are putting up a Christmas tree there are some decisions on which kind you get.
  • Artificial Christmas trees - if you have one keep it in use for as long as possible and remember they can’t be recycled
  • Real Christmas trees - buy locally grown, and make sure to check when the Council is picking up old Christmas trees here.
  • Buy one with roots that you can plant out during the year.
  • See if you can rent one
  • Upcycle cardboard, driftwood, fabric pompoms from yarn or anything else for a creative abstract tree
  • Decorate a house plant
• Try to make your own wreath from real greenery. If buying, avoid those with plastic and glitter as these will make it harder to recycle.
• Avoid buying new tinsel as it can’t be recycled.
• Fairy lights – if they are broken, these can be recycled at your local household waste recycling centre. If buying new, buy LED lights and solar powered lights for outdoor use.
• Switch off lights when not in use to save energy.
• Make your own tree decorations that can be used every year – get your kids to help make paper chains or salt dough creations. Transform old satsumas and oranges into beautiful garlands by drying them out in the oven on low heat and stringing them up.
• Reuse old Christmas cards as decorations by attaching them to ribbons
• Tissue paper from wrapping or paper hats can be repurposed into decorative bunting for next year.
• Christmas crackers - if you can, make your own using toilet roll tubes and paper, and include personalised gifts inside. Remember, the store bought one can’t be recycled if they are shiny or have glitter or foil in them.

However you celebrate, make this festive season green and for more tips visit Zero Waste Scotland.