Dreaming of a greener Christmas
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f you’re planning to make your festive season more sustainable, Social Justice Group has these suggestions.
Gifts - Frightening Festive Facts (FFF): It is thought that £700 million is spent on unwanted presents and that one in nine people will exchange their gifts having received them. One in ten gifts end up in landfill. Seasonal Sustainable Solutions (SSS): Talk to friends and family and reduce the amount of presents you buy and receive. Shop locally or from smaller businesses online. Make handmade gifts such as sweets, jams, pickles, biscuits, cushions, clothing or pictures. Wrapping paper - FFF: Defra estimates that enough paper is used each year to gift-wrap the island of Guernsey. SSS: Look out for ones that can be recycled if you are going to buy some but use up leftovers first and keep decent-sized pieces to reuse. Recycle what you can, taking plastic tape off first or shred it and use it to protect fragile objects or clean windows. Crackers - FFF: Crackers create a huge amount of single use waste, often including the gift inside and much of this is not recyclable.
at least 10 years and it will become carbon neutral. Food - FFF: We waste around 250,000 tonnes of food over Christmas. Aim to cut down on meat and dairy, if possible, as the environmental impact of these is higher than most other foods. Where you can, choose organic, local and free range. Buy fruit and vegetable loose. Keep an eye on dates so no food goes to waste. Christmas jumpers - FFF: In 2016, a quarter of Christmas jumpers were worn once and then discarded. SSS: If you do buy a Christmas jumper, wear it again and again or swap tops with a friend. When children have grown out of theirs, pass them on to someone else or consider buying new ones from a charity shop. Glitter - Avoid glitter wherever possible as the tiny pieces of plastic can get into water systems and soil and then can become par t of the food chain.
SSS: Make your own using recyclable material or make reusable fabric ones if you are feeling creative. Christmas cards - FFF: Sending Christmas cards has quite a high carbon footprint due to the manufacturing of the card itself and the journey it takes. SSS: Consider sending e-cards instead. DontSendMeACard.com supports hundreds of different charities. You could also send an email, a text or WhatsApp message with a photo or two. Recycle any Christmas cards you can or make gift tags and decorations for next year. Christmas trees - FFF: Six million trees are thrown out after Christmas, creating more than 9,000 tonnes of additional waste. SSS: Consider renting a tree or buy a live tree and let it grow throughout the year to use every year. Try to source trees that are FSC approved. After use, put the tree into green recycling. If you use an artificial tree, aim to use it for
24 Completely Bromsgrove
by Elisabeth Johnston
