Living a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle means making responsible choices all year round – even at Christmas! While it can feel difficult to celebrate sustainably at this time of year, there are many simple steps you can take to keep your carbon footprint low. This includes reducing the household waste you generate over the festive period. Here are four great ways to do so:
Clear out your home
Before you start shopping, take some time to declutter your home. Winter clear-outs can help you prepare for the New Year, but more than this, they can also remind you of what you already have! This is a simple trick to stop you buying more than necessary during the festive season. For example, during an attic or cupboard clear-out, you can figure out exactly what decorations you have already, rather than buying LED lights and baubles unnecessarily.
Share experiences rather than gifts
One effective way to reduce your household waste at Christmas is to share experiences in place of physical gifts. For example, you could buy your loved ones cinema, restaurant or spa vouchers. These are zero-waste gift ideas that will impress your friends and family without generating piles of wrapping paper or packaging.
This year, you might also consider swapping Christmas cards for a phone call! This is another simple and budget-friendly way to celebrate without the environmental impact.
Upcycle or recycle decorations
A huge part of Christmas is decorating your house, but it’s important to consider the environmental impact of buying and disposing of cheap plastic ornaments every year. To have a more sustainable Christmas and reduce your household waste, why not upcycle and recycle the festive decorations you already have? Keep the same ones every year and repair them if they break. You could also make your own using old Christmas cards and other household items that would otherwise be thrown away.
Another tip is to use natural decoration, such as sprigs of holly and mistletoe! These traditional decorations can make your home look festive without the carbon footprint.
Only buy the food you need
It can be tempting to overindulge at Christmas, but this often means having to dispose of lots of food packaging afterwards. Families also tend to generate lots of food waste over the festive season, which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and landfill contamination. This year, avoid this by only buying the food you need.
Remember – supermarkets typically stay open over the festive period, so you’ll be able to buy more mince pies if you need them!
As you can see, there are plenty of environmentally-friendly ways to celebrate this Christmas. However, living sustainably also means finding responsible ways to dispose of any household waste you do generate.
Whether you are clearing out your home ahead of the festive season or you’re renovating your home in the New Year, make sure you rely on responsible waste management solutions, such as skip hire, to recycle as much of your household waste as possible.
Disposing of domestic waste in Stoke-on-Trent or Newcastle-under-Lyme couldn’t be easier with Cherry Hill Waste. Not only are our skip hire services reliable, efficient and cost-effective, but we’re also proud to recycle more than 90% of the waste we collect.
To learn more about our domestic skip hire services, contact us today.
