How to have a waste-free Christmas

WHEN it comes reducing waste this Christmas, we turned to Wendy Steindl from Healthy Clean and Green for these expert tips on how to have a waste-free Christmas.

>> READ MORE: HOW TO REDUCE PLASTIC WASTE IN YOUR HOME

Gift giving

In 2015 a survey showed that Australians exchanged 20 million unwanted Christmas gifts. That is totally crazy and realistically. Five years later, that figure is probably even higher. If we’re honest, we’ve probably all received an unwanted gift or worse yet, been the giver of one!

Tip: Choose experiences, time, support, food or better choice gifts…

• For so many reasons, people don’t take time out for themselves as often as they should – they’re too busy, they feel guilty or they simply can’t afford it – so consider an experience gift. Tickets to the movies or a show they want to see, send them skydiving or up in a hot air balloon. Take them out for a special dinner or lunch, send them on a weekend getaway, treat them to a massage or a pedicure. Buy passes to try paddleboarding, buy a voucher for them to learn a new skill (something they want of course… photography, gardening, golf lessons, sewing, knitting.) Treat a family to an annual pass at their local zoo. The list is endless, so you can tailor your experience gift to suit everyone on your list, no matter what your budget.
• Whether it is due to CoVid19 restrictions, because you’ve been busy at work or because the kids have been a handful; when was the last time that you spent some quality time with your loved ones? Give the gift of time to the person who’s been missing you – ‘become the gift’! Organise a babysitter so you can have a date and some quality time with your significant other (even if you don’t have kids, you should do this!) Go to a restaurant or on a picnic, anywhere you can just be together, no distractions, so you can have an uninterrupted conversation, reconnect and enjoy each other’s company.
• How about gifting your kids a date? Kids of all ages are eager for some one-on-one time with mum or dad. It doesn’t have to be expensive either. I could take my Miss 11 out for a pedicure, lunch and a movie which she would love but she would also be just as happy if I got rid of our boys for the day, turned off my computer and had a girlie day at home with her – board games, baking, movie of her choice, painting our fingernails… Mr 14 would love my husband to take him fishing, watch him do scooter tricks for an hour or take him on a boys-only camping trip…. All of which cost practically nothing but would mean so much.
• And when was the last time you went and had a cuppa with your Mum or Grandma? As I’m starting to miss my Mr 17 (his girlfriend, mates and car have all become a little more alluring than board games with mum) it’s made me think of my own grandma who is 93 and in a nursing home and how much a simple visit from me would brighten her whole day.
• There’s no denying that it’s been a tough year and the gift of support could be just what someone needs right now. This could be physical, emotional, or financial. Put together a fruit and vegetable box, grocery hamper or treat tub (even if they’re not doing it tough financially, I think this is a practical gift that would always be appreciated), pay a bill for them, do some handyman work for them or pay for some repairs they need done. Cook some meals for their freezer. Mow their lawn for a month or organise someone to do it. Deliver a batch of Christmas baking. Babysit (think of the friend who has been in lock down with little kids… take them to the park for a few hours so she can soak in the tub, read a book and enjoy a cup of tea on her own… physical and emotional support that doesn’t cost a cent) Think about what the person on your gift list really NEEDS right now…
• I’ve heard some people say that Christmas baking isn’t a ‘good enough gift’, but I look at it differently… baking takes time and effort so in my opinion, if someone does this for you they must think you’re pretty special! Plus, if packaged right baking can be a beautiful and waste-free gift…not to mention yummy… Think Rocky Road, Choc Mint Fudge, Rum Balls, Gingerbread, Christmas Cake, Shortbread, Mini Pavlova’s, Chocolate Salted Caramel Kisses… another endless list.
• Finally, if you’re going to purchase a new gift… make sure you choose better choice! Again, an endless list of options that you can either give separately or group together to tailor to the recipient and your budget! Choose reusable products, zero waste/ home compostable items or products made of better choice materials like stainless steel, bamboo or hemp.

>> READ MORE: CHRISTMAS DECORATION HACKS FOR RENTALS

Gift wrapping

Statistics show that landfill volumes increase by 30% during the festive season and in 2014 (the latest figures I could find) the Clean Air Council estimated that 30 million trees are cut down every year to produce Christmas themed wrapping paper. In 2017 CARE Australia said that we use approximately 150,000km of wrapping paper every year which is enough to wrap around the earth’s equator 4 times! That is beyond crazy when you think that the vast majority of that will head straight to landfill within days of the recipient opening their gift.

It’s seriously time to ditch the wrapping paper. Now, I get that it would kind of ruin the surprise on Christmas morning if all the presents were just sitting there under the tree so I’m not suggesting that we don’t wrap our presents…but I am suggesting that we get a little thoughtful and a little creative with our wrapping.

Tip: Ditch the paper and think better choice or reusable wrapping…

• Reuse any wrapping paper, gift bags or boxes that you have received throughout the year. This year I’ve wrapped a couple of gifts in the paper that came wrapped around a big bunch of flowers I received.
• Use children’s artwork… Grandma will love the extra gift
• Use the paper your toilet rolls come wrapped in… nope, I’m not joking!
• If you have old or damaged books (music, text or novels) newspapers, or maps use the pages to wrap gifts. This is also a great way to personalise gifts for each person if you can find a paragraph, music piece or place that matches your loved one.
• Make the wrapping part of the gift by using a new tea towel, beach towel, throw rug, scarf or sarong to wrap the gift in or pop your gift into a reusable shopping bag and tie with a bow. Google ‘wrapping with fabric’ and you’ll find heaps of YouTube tutorials to help you wrap any shaped present with style!
  Have a crafting morning and sew fabric scraps into different sized gift bags that you can reuse year after year after year. I love this one as you could make it double as a catch up with friends… If you’re not a sewer you can actually purchase ready-made fabric gift bags, or you could still have a morning with friends if you supply the morning tea and be in charge of making the cups of tea while the sewers get to work! Pop the gift inside your bag, tie up with some reusable ribbon or compostable string and you’re done!

Setting the table

How you set and decorate your table at Christmas sets the scene for the meal to come. By choosing to protect the environment you’ll end up with a table that is warm and inviting, unique and luxurious…and it’s actually quite easy to do…

Tip: Say no to single-use items…

• Invest in a tablecloth and reusable napkins. Keep them a neutral colour so that you can use them every year regardless of the colour scheme you choose.
• Pull out your best crockery, cutlery, and glassware and indulge the family and friends with luxury. If you don’t have enough in the cupboard; visit the op shops, hire extras or simply ask family members and guests to bring some extras along.
• Decorate your table with things from your garden. Match your colour scheme with flowers. Use gumnuts, branches or brown leaves for a neutral look that will match any colour theme (honestly, it looks way better than it sounds – check out Pinterest for some amazing examples!) and then spot the table with candles or excess Christmas decorations that you already have.
• Boycott the shop-bought bon bons! How many times have you cleared your Christmas table to be left with a pile of rubbish, paper hats and tiny plastic toys from the bonbons? No one ever takes them home and they really are useless. If you’re not up to ditching the bon bons altogether, try making your own or design your own special little place setting gift that won’t end up in the bin.

With a little imagination, you can make your Christmas table truly memorable, unique and environmentally friendly.

>>READ MORE: FIVE TIPS TO STYLING YOUR HOME FOR SALE

Cleaning up

When Christmas dinner is done and dusted for another year, the clean-up begins! Another perk of having an eco-friendlier Christmas is that the clean-up is in fact much easier and won’t leave your wheelie bins overflowing…

• Leftover food is always a given at Christmas but instead of throwing it out, jump online and look for some great leftover recipes or create your own special left-over concoction. Use up as many leftovers as you can and enjoy the break from cooking. If using up the leftovers yourself isn’t an option, send some home with your guests. Make sure anything you really can’t reuse either goes in the compost, the worm farm or is feed to the chickens or dogs!
• Your table décor can head to the compost or into a big vase; your napkins and tablecloth go straight to the washing basket. Invite your guests to help you with the big wash-up of crockery and cutlery, enjoy the conversation and time together as you wash and dry… after all isn’t that what Christmas is all about?
• If you’ve still ended up with traditional wrapping paper (it happens) try to salvage as much as you can. Flatten it out and pop it away to be reused next year along with any gift bags, ribbons and bows.

Before you know it, the clean-up will be done and you can join the kids (big and little) for a game of back yard cricket or settle down for a post-lunch nap!

Don’t forget to use up what you have first… if you have rolls of wrapping paper in a drawer… keep using that until it is all gone but make the vow not to buy anymore… the same goes with plastic plates and cutlery and any other single-use items.

If it all seems a little overwhelming and completely overhauling Christmas in one go seems a bit too much, just start slow and choose one area to work on each year until every area of

Christmas becomes better choice… remember any better choice change is better than none at all!

Wishing you all a very Merry and Better Choice Christmas filled with love, laughter and happiness!

For more environmentally friendly tips and products visit Healthy Clean and Green here.