Have a green Christmas

Have Yourself a Merry, Sustainable Christmas

Christmas is a time for celebration and giving but brings with it a noticeable rise in waste. With a few conscious, circular living inspired, choices we can all enjoy reducing our environmental impact. The key is to follow the waste hierarchy: reduce first, reuse where possible, and recycle appropriately.

Reducing

Over shopping at Christmas can lead to unnecessary waste, especially when packaging piles up, unused leftovers fill your brown bin or gifts are discarded. Planning ahead for meals and presents and making lists helps avoid impulse buying and reduces waste as well as saving you money.

Presents don’t have to be things! Choosing more meaningful gifts like shared experiences, spa trips, lessons or tickets to shows can bring beautiful memories from time spent together, supports local jobs and reduces the demand for new products.

When it comes to inside your own house consider making your own decorations from natural materials, old cards and art supplies instead of buying new ones. They will look great and you’ll love them more! You can find lots of online tutorials to help too 😊

If you like having a real Christmas tree, see if you can source one that can be replanted after the holidays. The most sustainable tree is the one you already have, so if you do own an artificial tree feel free to keep using that.
If you choose a cut tree, make sure to bring it to a designated Christmas tree recycling point in January, where it will be turned into compost or mulch.

Reusing

Decorations are used year after year but why stop there?

Wrapping paper can be used again or cut and made into beautiful Christmas cards. Gift bags also look great and are perfect for repeated use.

Presents don’t all have to be bought new either, why not regift things that are in good shape, like jewellery, art, vinyl records, children’s toys and jigsaws, or something that was meaningful to you that you’d like to pass on to someone you love?

Where you do have leftover food, look at what can be made from it. Check out Stopfoodwaste.ie for fantastic resources on how to use it all up!

Disposal

Knowing which bins to use is important too.

All food stuffs should be placed in the brown bin. All paper, cardboard, plastic and metal should be placed in the recycling bin – clean, dry and loose. Anything that can’t be composted or recycled goes into the general waste bin.

Further guidance can be found on our site here or you can search any item in our A-Z List by using our search bars.

By making mindful choices – buying only what we need, reusing where we can, and segregating waste correctly, we are part of a positive shift towards a sustainable Ireland and a more circular economy.

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