5 Easy Ways You Can Minimize Waste This Holiday Season
It’s time to get cozy with holiday season so close around the corner, it’s the perfect time to start thinking about the ways we can all cut back on needless holiday waste. A key part of our ethos here at Cycle Water is that each of us can make small, mindful changes that move us forward on the path to a zero waste world — and the holidays don’t have to be an exception!
It’s time to get cozy with holiday season so close around the corner, it’s the perfect time to start thinking about the ways we can all cut back on needless holiday waste. A key part of our ethos here at Cycle Water is that each of us can make small, mindful changes that move us forward on the path to a zero waste world — and the holidays don’t have to be an exception!
While the spirit of the season is indeed jolly, there’s nothing jolly about the wasteful aftermath. This year alone, Canadians will send about this much holiday cheer to the dump:
- 540,000 tonnes of wrapping paper and gift bags (about 100,000 elephants worth!).[1]
- A few billion Christmas cards (most of which, especially the glittery ones, are not recyclable at all, contrary to popular belief). [1]
- Millions of rolls of tape and ribbon. [1]
- About 50 kilograms of garbage per person during the holiday season alone — a 25 per cent increase compared to the rest of the year. [1]
And, naturally, those numbers only scratch the surface. There’s also wasted electricity, food, disposable gifts… the list goes on and on. Fortunately, many of these wasteful holiday practices are just habits blown way out of proportion by companies trying to cash in on the holiday spirit.
Here are some ways you can make this year’s holiday season a more impact-conscious occasion, without sacrificing any of the holiday cheer!
Keep Your Holidays Waste-Free With A Mindset Of Sustainability
Though the holidays are undoubtedly a special time of the year, there’s no reason why they should cause us to suspend our efforts to live sustainable lifestyles. Though some mix of tradition, the desire to kick back and relax, and busy, event-packed schedules leads many otherwise impact-conscious people to suspend their usual carefulness, this doesn’t have to be the case.
In fact, the simplest way to reduce your impact these holidays is to continue to maintain and further develop the same sustainable lifestyle you do the rest of the year. Sticking to the basics is still as effective as ever: reduce, reuse, recycle. Letting these values guide your choices now and throughout the year is all that’s necessary.
On that note, here are some creative ways to apply these sustainable living basics to one of the most important holiday traditions of all: gifts!
Zero Waste Gift Ideas For A Sustainable and Unforgettable Holiday Season
1. Choose quality reusable gifts that will bring smiles for a lifetime.
When choosing the gifts you’ll give, consider their longevity and reuse value. Disposables, especially those made from plastics which will never truly biodegrade, should ideally be avoided. Beyond that, opting for fewer higher quality items will ensure that your gifts will continue to be used and cherished for years to come instead of quickly breaking and ending up in a landfill.
2. Make your own gifts, from beauty products to tasty treats, and fill them with extra love.
Many consumables make fun DIY projects and amazing gifts — what better way to show you care than to make something completely from scratch, after all? And, best of all, the options are nearly limitless; there are handy gift options for all needs and tastes: hand creams, lip balms, deodorants, bath bombs, shampoos and soaps, candied nuts, cookies, jams, or — for a wild card — plant cuttings.
3. Ditch gift wrap for a more sustainable option.
As we already established, buying gift wrap (much of which is unrecyclable) is one of the holiday season’s most wasteful traditions. Instead, opt for creative substitutes like colourful magazine pages, reused old maps, comics, and so on. Alternatively, use reusable packaging such as decorative tins, baskets, and boxes, or make your own custom cloth wrap and ribbons. The key is to simply skip the packaging or use something recyclable (and trendy) like old paper grocery bags and twine instead of tape!
4. Give the gift of experiences instead of the gift of things.
Most of us already have plenty of stuff. Instead, why not give the gift of an unforgettable special experience? A day trip somewhere fun, an excursion to an art gallery or museum, or even a pre-planned romantic date night are all great options. Opening the door to a new experience for someone is the gift that keeps on giving, who knows which new hobbies you might inspire. Beyond that, other nearly zero waste gifts include subscriptions, IOUs, and event tickets.
5. Give gifts that send an environmental message.
Your gift giving is a great opportunity to tastefully bring environmental concerns to the attention of loved ones and help them develop more sustainable lifestyles themselves. A tea or coffee lover, for example, would love a refillable thermos bottle or travel mug. A bookworm would probably enjoy reading something with an environmental lean as much as anything else.
Finally, for the person who’s always on the go and often relies on single-use plastic water bottles, a stylish reusable option given with love might just be the nudge they need to make the switch. If not that, then maybe we can recommend a gift of a few boxes of Cycle Water to help make their transition easier in the meanwhile? The cans are resealable and infinitely recyclable. Just saying. ;)
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