Over Christmas, we typically eat lots of food and spend lots of money. The remnants of millions of turkeys, tonnes of plastic packaging and miles of wrapping paper have to go somewhere.
Did you know….
- Over the festive season we produce 25-30% more waste than we normally do. This is unnecessary, expensive and environmentally damaging.
- Over 50% of gifts we’ll receive at Christmas are considered useless. Gifting an experience or creating something personal or handmade avoids unnecessary purchases – and can mean more.
- We waste a third of what we buy.
- Every Irish family throws away €700 worth of good food each year. Even when leaving food out for Santa’s reindeer, you can ensure you don’t leave too much!
- Millions of Christmas crackers are pulled each year. They are full of plastic and go in the bin after being used for only a few hours. Avoid them where possible or find a reusable option – invest in a good joke book that will last you for years to come!
- By reusing more, we can reduce our environmental impact.
- When it comes to decorating, deck the halls with less, use what you have or buy second hand.
- You can create a festive atmosphere at home by foraging foliage and displaying natural decorations like pine cones, holly, fruits and nuts.
- There are great reusable plastic alternatives to tinsel, like colourful paper bunting/ decorations.
- Use a real Christmas tree! Science shows that one of the best ways to protect forests is to use them—carefully. When our forests are sustainably managed, they can produce renewable resources like Christmas trees and other wood-made products. This is important because well-maintained forests often store as much carbon as unmanaged forests, making innovative forest management methods a key solution to fighting climate change.
Links for more information:
www.mywaste.ie/my-christmas-waste/
www.repak.ie/news-room/christmas-ireland-produce-97000-tonnes-of-packaging-waste/
