It’s that time of year again where people get together to share laughs and love over warm food, gifts are received and memories are created; Not to forget the excessive waste. This has become an annual issue with an additional 30% of rubbish being produced throughout the festive season compared to the rest of the year, waste management company Biffa suggests more than 100 million bags of rubbish are sent to landfill each Christmas. Luckily this article will give you some insight of how small changes can be very effective! If you’re still here then you might as well finish reading…

Thanks to TikTok #lifehacks the London Organic team have stumbled across many ways to make your Christmas more sustainable. A swap of wrapping paper for fabric wrapping and/or eco friendly wrapping paper is a great alternative, rather than contributing to the 108 million rolls of wrapping paper used by Brits. A new sustainable hack that not only reduces waste but gives back to the environment is plantable christmas cards, they can be found through small businesses on platforms such as Etsy, an alternative to this is sending e-cards! To cut down on the amount of shopping and cardboard waste, why not consider having a reusable advent calendar, you may not notice it but those small cardboard calendars are a huge contribution to cardboard and plastic waste, the same goes for decorations! Almost 500 tonnes of Christmas lights are discarded in the UK each year, there’s absolutely no harm in reusing decorations each year with some added handcrafted decorations to add that extra sentimental yet sustainable sparkle to your christmas tree.

In the UK alone we waste approximately 270,000 tonnes of food during the Christmas period alone, luckily we have a resolution for you to start cutting down on food waste and being more tactical. Transforming leftovers into new meals is one that you may disregard however, the smallest changes can have a huge impact, besides nothing beats a bubble and squeak. If you don’t fancy nibbling on the spare potatoes then throw them in the freezer and use when necessary. One change that some may not want to sacrifice but is definitely an option for some, go meat free! Roughly 2 Million turkeys are wasted at Christmas, some families sadly cannot afford the Privilege of a turkey despite so much going to waste, a change of tradition can be a pleasant surprise! A Christmas clear out is also very refreshing, having untouched cans in your pantry or bread that will probably go moldy without being opened is heartbreaking, instead head over to your local food bank and lighten up somebody else’s Christmas with items you won’t even notice are gone.

Considering the environmental harm all of our actions may cause should be considered throughout the whole year and not only during the festive season. Simple gestures will go a long way, recycling is one of the most identifiable procedures, lets not forget about avoiding plastic bags and instead bringing your own reusable bag such as the infamous tote. Shopping second hand and/or reselling your items is a fun way to give more life to items whilst being sustainable! The mass amount of waste isn’t all to be blamed all on consumers, companies are a huge contribution all year round. One thing companies can do to offset the waste and carbon produced is planting trees, here at London Organic we have a tree planted for every single order that is made. Giving back to the environment as much as we can whilst mindfully producing sustainable products!

To wrap this out, there is only so much one can do depending on everyone’s budget as well as personal needs. However, each change no matter how small does matter, if planned out cohesively you can manage to make your christmas sustainable without spending extra and getting our moneys worth. Planning ahead is highly suggested!