Low Waste Holiday
My favorite time of year is from October to December. There’s Halloween, fall vibes, Thanksgiving, then winter vibes, Christmas and the new year. It’s truly the most wonderful time of year. But, with all those holidays comes increased waste. In fact, Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday period than any other time of year.
If every family reused just two feet of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet. If every American family wrapped just 3 presents in re-used materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields. The 2.65 billion Christmas cards sold each year in the U.S. could fill a football field 10 stories high. If we each sent one card less, we’d save 50,000 cubic yards of paper.
Every year, my goal has been to have a less stressful holiday with less waste. It’s been quite a journey, and I’ve learned so much. Whatever holidays you and your family celebrate this time of year, here are some ways to make it Low Waste.
Holiday Cards
Listen, I love sending holiday cards, and I love receiving them, but at the end of the season, where do they end up? If they aren’t sparkly, glittery, or shiny, they can be composted or recycled, but it’s hard to find cards to write in that don’t have plastic somewhere on the front.
For the last two years, we’ve send photo cards out, with nothing sparkly or glittery on them, so they can be recycled afterward. We also chose to print them at VistaPrint as a recycled post card, because they are printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper. I purchased a pack of envelopes to size that had a damaged box, saving them from a landfill.
We send out ecofriendly holiday cards, BUT we receive a lot of handwritten cards that have plastic on them. So, to get more use out of them, I cut the covers off, and use them as gift tags for presents for the following year. The backs can most often be recycled or composted.
Christmas Trees & Ornaments
Every year there’s a debate on what’s more ecofriendly, a real tree or a fake tree. There are pros and cons to both, and depending on who you ask they may have different answers.
Real trees being purchased from a local farm supports a small business, absorb harmful CO2, provide habitats for wildlife, and can reduce transportation emissions. If you compost the tree afterward, it can reduce the overall impact. Live trees can be chopped up and turned into firewood, mulch, wood chips, and more. Trees are 100% biodegradable, and many municipalities also offer curbside pickup options to compost the trees. Every year, there are nearly 350 million trees growing on Christmas Tree Farms. Christmas Trees also have a cost year to year.
Fake trees are more convenient than live trees, but have lots of transportation emissions. Keeping a tree for over 20 years can reduce its overall environmental impact. Thrift stores and Facebook Marketplace have tons of secondhand trees that could also be purchased at a reduced price. At the end of the trees life, they will end up in landfills because they are made from plastic. You can also reuse trees for years, resulting in only one cost.
Perfectly manicured & aesthetic trees with ball ornaments can end up being more wasteful, because often there may be a need for change. I personally think the best ornament collections are ones collected over the years, and reused for years and years. My personally collection includes Hallmark ornaments purchased by my loved ones starting when I was born. I have so many different ornaments from different walks of life, so it also means on my Christmas tree are Barbie and Blues Clues ornaments—but I wouldn’t have it any other way. That to me, is our perfect Christmas tree.
An easy way to reduce energy consumption throughout the holiday season as well is to only turn the tree on when you are in the room. It’s safer as well, because they can be a fire hazard. But by only having the tree on for a little bit each day instead of all day every day, you can save a lot of energy.
If you also like to hang garland in your home, try foraging for it and making it yourself! Forests and Parks are also littered with pinecones you could use to decorate. You can also dehydrate orange slices, and use them around your home. Whatever you and your family choose for decor this holiday season, try to keep the planet in mind.
Eco Gift Guide
Many sustainability creators, including myself, have created ecofriendly gift guides for the holiday season! These are filled with sustainable physical gifts, experiences, and consumables you can gift others during the holiday.
Eco Gift Guide 2022 and 25+ Gifts under $25 2022 are the two gift guides I released this year.
Holiday Wrapping
Every year, I buy one large roll of wrapping paper, and wrap all of our gifts for our families in the wrapping. I love how cohesive it looks under our tree before Christmas, and it’s just been a fun tradition. I then donate our leftover partial rolls to a local adopt a family fundraiser. This year, I have my last roll of wrapping paper in stock, dinosaurs wearing Christmas hats.
If you are like me and like to buy wrapping paper, find rolls that are 100% recyclable. Target sells a lot of rolls that are recyclable, and typically brown kraft paper rolls are too. You can also use brown upcycled paper from packaging saved throughout the year, which is what I think we will do in the future. I also see often reused gift bags, or cloth wrappings that can be reused.
I also save every little piece of twine and string throughout the year in a box, and I will reuse it to wrap any presents that need it instead of buying plastic gift ribbon.
I’m working through my stock of plastic tape, which needs to be removed before the paper can be recycled. When I’m out of it, I’ll be switching to brown kraft tape that is water activated and can be recycled.
Holiday Hosting
If you’re hosting a holiday gathering, consider making dishes with produce that’s locally sourced and currently in season. Try to make one or two of your dishes plant based as well, and don’t prepare too much food, or have a plan for leftovers. Provide compostable takeout containers, or ask your guests to bring reusables to take home leftovers!
Also, make sure to have your recycling bin and compost bin nearby and clearly labeled to ensure that your guests use it!
If you don’t have enough dishes for every guest to have a reusable, switch to compostables. Repurpose makes compostable plates, cutlery, and cups. Bamboo napkins or paper towels would also work and can be composted after.
Don’t forget to put out the recycling and compost bins. Place bins in an obvious area and make sure they are clearly marked.
Holiday SCents
I love to light holiday candles, along with many Americans. Unfortunately, only 8% of candle jars are recycled at the end of their lifetime. Millions of candles end up in landfills every single year.
Skip the candles from big box stores—they’re likely made from paraffin wax which is derived from petroleum and can be toxic to humans and pets. Instead, pick candles made of coconut or soy wax.
Also pick a small business, like The Book Nerd Fox {use code shelves10 to save} or Everly Candles {use code PLANETFRIENDLY to save}, to buy candles from instead. The Book Nerd Fox makes candles in tins that can be cleaned and recycled or repurposed. Everly Candles makes sustainable refill kits that can be melted and poured into any container you have.
Alternatively, a simmer pot will make your house smell wonderful and all of the materials used can be composted. In a pot with water, add cranberries, cinnamon sticks, anise, apple or pear slices, orange slices, lemon slices, rosemary, or any combination of those items. Use what you have that smells good. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer on your stove top. Drain and compost the pieces after!
Deck the Halls
Before you shop store aisles to fill your home with decor, check secondhand stores. Thrift stores have so much holiday decor and you can find some really awesome pieces for cheap. More than half of my decor are things I’ve found in thrift stores over the years.
Alternatively, you can check Facebook Marketplace and Buy Nothing Groups to help give decor a second life.
