With the festive season now upon us and Christmas parties in full swing, we wanted to share some tips to help readers enjoy the traditions of Christmas and New Year, but also reduce waste as much as possible, from gift wrapping to food!

As Christmas is a time to gather with loved ones and friends to celebrate, and with lots of parties and restaurant visits, it can be easy to forget about the amount of waste we are responsible for. Have a read of the below to see if you can make some small changes!

1. Consider using recyclable or recycled wrapping paper, or come up with creative methods to package gifts. You can, for instance, buy wrapping paper created from recyclable materials. To wrap presents, you can also use fabric or cloth bags.
2. Recycle the tree sapling for Christmas! Or even better, get a tree that can be planted in a container after the holidays. You might also spend money on an artificial tree and use it for years to come.
3. Decorate your tree with LED lights! By setting the lights on timers, you can reduce the amount of time they are on unnecessarily.
4. Send fewer Christmas cards, or even better, send them electronically. Approximately 1.5 billion cards are mailed out annually, according to Hallmark: that would fill an entire football field five floors high! You can find excellent, cost-free online e-card options at American Greetings, Care2, and 123Greetings.
5. With your presents, purchase rechargeable batteries, and consider including a battery charger with your gift if possible. Around 40% of the UK’s entire annual spend on batteries occurs in December!
6. Donate any unwanted Christmas presents rather than throwing them away – someone else will be grateful for them!

And that’s it! Our three main messages from this list are these:

• Reduce your food waste over the festive period
• Reduce Christmas card and wrapping paper waste
• Have a great time!

From everyone at Here’s The Plan, we hope you have a lovely and safe Christmas, and a Happy New Year!