Christmas may be the most wonderful time of the year, but it’s also a time of peak waste. To give you a bit of perspective, Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve period than any time of the year - and it amounts to one million extra tons of garbage per week. While green already is the traditional color of Christmas, we could start giving it an additional meaning by becoming more eco-friendly and conscious by cutting back on obvious excesses, such as useless gifts, unrecyclable wrapping paper, and even food.
The great news is that more and more people become conscious and consider making the most out of the festive season without wasting Earth’s resources (and money). To be of help, our Gold-Circuit E-Cycling team compiled a list of eco-friendly gift ideas:
1. Fewer objects, more experiences.
Statistics show that about 35% of Americans have at least an unused Christmas present that collects dust somewhere in a corner. Why buy objects that only look nice but have no real purpose when you can purchase a gift that keeps on giving? Try holiday vouchers, concert tickets, cinema tickets, memberships for services that your loved ones would enjoy, sponsorships for organizations such as WWF or World Vision. Choose truly memorable and purposeful gifts, that add value to their lives.
2. Buy local or create your gifts.
There are lots of small businesses that create beautiful, unique handmade objects which are also recyclable and eco-friendly. By buying from them, you support the local economy and get to offer more thoughtful gifts that’ll surely put a smile on your dear ones’ faces. Of course, if you’re handy and good at baking, sewing, painting, and not only, you can craft your own gifts and even save money in the process.
3. Switch to eco-friendly wrapping materials.
Imagine this: if every American family wrapped just 3 presents in reused materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields. The shiny, glittery wrapping papers and ribbons may be adorable, but they’re not recyclable. You can switch to green alternatives such as brown paper, newspaper, raffia, string or textiles. For example, we can all take inspiration from Japan, where a method of using cloth to wrap up gifts was invented long ago. You can find lots of such colorful fabrics on Etsy - and they can be used again and again.
4. Take the vintage route.
Think outside the gift box and don’t be afraid to incorporate pre-loved treasures on your Christmas shopping list. The age-old stigma around offering used objects is long gone - but of course, they should be in good condition. The resale market has been growing rapidly in the US, and you can find lots of stores and independent sellers that commercialize awesome goods at very reasonable prices (including authentic luxury clothes and accessories). Imagine how much the Earth could benefit from our mutual decision to embrace second-hand gifts!
