With the festive season well and truly upon us, most of us are hoping for a white Christmas…. well, how about shaking things up this year and aiming for a green Christmas? In the UK, we’re estimated to generate 30% more waste during the festive period than in the rest of the year (GWP Group, 2019)! With time until the tipping point running out, here are some easy ways that you can be a little more eco-conscious this year.
Buying your Christmas cards:
In 2017 nearly 100 million Christmas cards were sold individually in the UK, with a further 900 million sold in packs and thousands more being sold online (Greeting Cards Association, 2018), but many of these end up in landfill sites at the end of the festive period. Perhaps this year is the time to shorten your Christmas card list or is the time to consider the environmental impact of card giving. Try to choose cards that are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®) certified as this ensures that the paper used to create the card has been ethically and sustainably sourced. Alternatively, choose charity cards. It is estimated that the UK raises £50 million for charities through the sale of charity Christmas cards (Greeting Cards Association, 2018).
Recycle your Christmas cards:
Card and paper is so easy to recycle, but approximately 300,000 tonnes of Christmas cards are sent to landfill sites each year, which is enough to wrap Big Ben 260,000 times (RecycleNow, 2019). You can find your local recycling centre at https://www.recyclenow.com/local-recycling. If you don’t have access to recycling facilities, many retailers have card recycling schemes that can recycle them for you! For example, from 2008 to 2016 Marks and Spencer worked with the Woodland Trust in a card recycling scheme which funded the planting of a tree for every 1000 cards that were recycled which led to the planting of 51,000 trees (Woodland Trust, 2019). Although these changes are small they can have a significant impact! Recycling one tonne of paper saves 17 trees, 18.7² foot of landfill space and 4000 kilowatts of electricity (GWP Group, 2019). You can also recycle postage stamps in your normal recycling bins if they are still attached to their envelopes, but many charities collect stamps to raise money for their cause!
Wrapping paper:
In the UK we send approximately 108 million rolls of wrapping paper to landfill each year (GWP Group, 2019), but you can recycle most of the wrapping paper that all your wonderful gifts come in! If you’re unsure of whether your paper can be recycled, then try the simple ‘scrunch test’. The general rule is that if the wrapping paper holds its shape when you scrunch it into a ball, it can be recycled but if it springs back to its original shape then cannot. Make sure any tape or accessories have been removed as it is becoming increasingly common for Councils to reject entire recycling bins that contain glitter as it can clog up machinery and contaminates the recyclable material (GWP Group, 2019).
Christmas Dinner:
Go organic! Using organic vegetables reduces the amount of pesticides and artificial fertilisers that are being used which is more environmentally sustainable and can lead to an increase of up to 50% more wildlife on organic farms compared to non-organic, farms (Soil Association, 2019). Just look out for the Soil Association organic symbol or buy local so you can speak to the farmers themselves about how your food has been grown! Alternatively, try and reduce your meat consumption. The IPCC’s ‘Special Report on Climate Change and Land’ encourages us to reduce our meat-consumption in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and take an adaptive approach to climate change (IPCC, 2019). No one is forcing you to change your eating habits, but hopefully this is somewhat thought-provoking?
Food waste:
Each Christmas it is estimated that over 2 million turkeys, 74 million mince pies, 5 million Christmas puddings and 17 million brussel sprouts are sent to landfill (Unilever, 2012). Try to aim to limit the amount of food waste produced by using your leftovers for another meal rather than throwing it away. However, please visit https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/christmas for more information about ensuring food safety during the festive period. Any food waste that you do generate, think about whether it can be composted rather than sent to landfill. Any raw or cooked vegetables and fruits, eggshells and nut shells can be composted (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, 2019) and most local councils collect food waste.
Wine bottles:
It may be the most wine-derful time of the year, but make sure you recycle your wine bottles! Over 13,350 tonnes of glass is sent to landfill in the UK during December and January (GWP Group, 2019).The environmental benefits of recycling glass are considerable in regards to carbon saving and a reduction in energy usage (Fresh Start Waste, 2017). For example, recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to run a 100W bulb for approximately four hours (GWP Group, 2019).
Crackers:
Does anyone actually still have their little red fortune telling fish that you got in a cracker many years ago? I’m assuming the answer is probably no. Well, then why not try plastic free crackers this year? Waitrose and John Lewis have pledged to stop selling crackers containing plastic from 2020, whilst Sainsburys has removed plastic packaging from its crackers this year. Alternatively you could make your own crackers with a magnitude of kits available in craft stores and online. You can still have a cracking time without the plastic!
This is not an exhaustive list… there is so much more to think about! Trying to avoid fast fashion during the Christmas party season, buying your Christmas presents locally and recycling your Christmas tree. Trying to implement just one of these tips into your life this Christmas can have a considerable impact on our future! As Margaret Mead is famously quoted, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has”. Have a merry (and green) Christmas!
Sophie John, 3rd year geographer at Corpus Christi College.
DISCLAIMER: THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS ARTICLE ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR ONLY AND DO NOT REPRESENT THE VIEWS OR OPINIONS OF COMPASS MAGAZINE AS A WHOLE OR THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
References:
Fresh Start Waste (2017) Waste collection at Christmas. https://www.fswaste.co.uk/2017/02/waste-collection-christmas/
Greetings Cards Association (2018) Facts and Figures. http://www.greetingcardassociation.org.uk/resources/for-publishers/the-market/facts-and-figures
GWP Group (2019) Christmas packaging facts: The 2019 definitive list.https://www.gwp.co.uk/guides/christmas-packaging-facts/
IPCC (2019) Special Report Climate Change and Land. https://www.ipcc.ch/srccl/
RecycleNow (2019) T’is the season to be jolly aware of recycling. https://www.recyclenow.com/tis-season-be-jolly-aware-recycling
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (2019) How to reduce food waste. http://reducereuserecycle.co.uk/where_can_I_recycle/food_scraps.php
Soil Association (2019) Why organic? https://www.soilassociation.org/organic-living/why-organic/
Unilever (2012) 74 million mince pies thrown away every Christmas. https://www.unilever.co.uk/news/press-releases/2012/74-million-mince-pies-thrown-away-every-christmas.html
Woodland Trust (2019) Christmas cards and trees: What to buy and how to recycle. https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2018/11/christmas-cards-and-trees-what-to-buy-and-how-to-recycle/