Tips for the festive season

Here're some top tips to have a more environmentally friendly festive season this year: 

• Deck the halls with LED lights:  LED lights use much less energy than traditional bulbs and look just as good. Also, switch your lights off during the day when they’re not very bright and before you go to bed - it’s safer and cheaper! 

• Get creative with your gift wrap: Re-use old magazines, paper shopping bags, or newspapers to wrap up your presents. If you do use wrapping paper, look for wrap made from recycled paper and try to avoid metallic, shiny or glitter wrap that can’t be put in the recycling bin.  

• Ditch the Sellotape: Tape can’t be recycled so try wrapping your gifts with string or ribbon instead. You can even save it and reuse it next Christmas.  

• The pre-festive season clear out: Many charity shops are desperate for donations of toys in the run up to Christmas. Why not declutter the house and donate the toys and games your children have grown out of to local charity shops? You never know, your children’s old toys that they don’t play with anymore might just make the perfect gift for another child.

• Quality not quantity: Around half of UK adults say they've received gifts they don't want at Christmas. When buying gifts, put time into picking a quality item that'll last and be loved for a long time. This reduces the chances of gifts going to waste and could be better for your wallet by purchasing one quality gift, rather than lots of cheaper, disposable or poor-quality items.

• Gift an experience: Bring people together by gifting your time, or with purchased experiences. There are lots of options to choose from that'll reduce your Christmas footprint. You could buy tickets to shows, concerts or events. Or, a more wallet-friendly alternative is to gift a homemade coupon book, donating your time to help babysit, visit a local park, or maybe a nice picnic in the summer. Other ideas include making a restaurant reservation or giving a gift card. Why not plan a day out to a National Trust or Wildlife Trust location, or even make a homemade meal? It also makes your gift last longer – having something to look forward to later in the year.
• Send e-cards or plantable Christmas/holiday cards:
  Nobody needs the mass sending of Christmas cards with only ‘Happy Christmas’ or ‘Seasons Greetings’ written in them. This year, save yourself some postage and challenge yourself to only send a card if it’s got a personal message inside. If you want to still send a card but without the waste, opt for e-cards. If you do want a real card, choose ones made with recycled card (with the FSC or PEFC logo) to ensure it comes from well-managed forests that support local people, or at least cards free of glitter so they can be recycled. It’s also worth checking if your local Scout group are offering a 'Christmas Scout Post' to save money on sending cards across town.

• Make the most of Christmas dinner leftovers:  It’s easy to buy and cook more food than we can eat at Christmas, but there're many ways to turn your leftovers into delicious meals of their own. You’ll find many ‘Christmas dinner leftover recipes’ online and you can also chop and freeze unused vegetables. 

• Don’t sweat with your guests:  If you’re expecting guests, try turning the thermostat down a degree or two before they arrive. The extra bodies will give off heat and it'll avoid you having to open a window to cool down. 

• Go for a festive winter walk:  Christmas can be a stressful time, so a free way to unwind or to spend time with family and friends can be to visit a local park or go for a walk. Kent routes and activities for all ages are available at  https://explorekent.org/   

• Re-wear your festive jumper: You don't need to buy a new Christmas jumper every year. Why not wear an old one, borrow one from a friend, get one from a charity shop or get creative and upcycle an old jumper?
  
• Eat seasonally: Although we need to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables to stay healthy, you can help to reduce the carbon footprint of your festive meals by buying seasonal produce. Focus on root vegetables grown in the UK like potatoes, parsnips, carrots and beetroots, and winter vegetables like cabbage, squash, broccoli and cauliflower. For fruit, we can choose UK produce like apples and pears. We don’t have to only eat what’s produced in the UK – instead, we can supplement UK produce with fruits and vegetables that've been shipped to the UK by boat, such as clementines, pineapples and pomegranates. By being conscious of what we’re importing we can reduce the emissions from flying food to the UK. 

• Dispose of turkey fat responsibly:  Don’t pour it down the sink! This can lead to blockages. Any grease, fat or oil from cooking should be left to cool and solidify in a container and then disposed of with your usual rubbish or food waste.  

• Don’t ruin the potatoes! If you’re busy in the kitchen, make sure you don’t open the oven door too much. The heat will escape, meaning your oven has to work harder to maintain the temperature needed for the perfect roast potato (and we do love a good roastie!)
• Think about materials: Look at the materials gifts are made from and keep sustainability in mind. Make sure any wood, card, bamboo or paper gifts are made from 100% recycled or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified materials. Avoid single-use plastic items (especially glitter) that can’t be recycled, and look for things like Fairtrade or Organic-certified food and clothing. Buying second-hand items saves on resources needed to make new products, helping to reduce emissions and create a more sustainable future. Vintage clothes, books, home furnishings, and refurbished technology can all make great sustainable gifts.

• Know your recycling!  Mince pie boxes and plastic trays, pie foils, glass bottles & jars, sweet and biscuit tins/tubs, Christmas pudding tubs, tins and cans, Christmas cards and envelopes, gift tags, Christmas crackers (remove the snap first), boxes and packaging can all be recycled, but glittery/shiny wrapping paper, baubles and tinsel can't, so should be put in your black bin.  

• Look into alternative Christmas trees: Rent, or turn your houseplant into a tree! Forestry England has some great tips on making sure your Christmas tree is as sustainable as can be, including making sure real trees are Grown-in-Britain certified, opting for a potted tree (which can last a lifetime, not just Christmas!), and recycling your tree after you’ve used it. If you’re opting for a fake tree, it’s estimated to take 10 years to make it environmentally worthwhile, so make sure you love it.

• Recycle your Christmas tree:  Real Christmas trees can be recycled, usually at your local recycling centre or with your gardening waste. Check with your local authority for details. If you’ve got an artificial tree you don't want any more, you could donate it to charity or check if it can be recycled.  

• Check your bin collection dates:  Normal bin collection days can change over the Christmas period, so be sure to check with the local authority for any changes to avoid a build-up of rubbish. Please make sure you break down any large boxes and packaging to avoid bin areas overflowing, and don't block bin chutes with oversized waste. 

• Check on your friends, family and neighbours: The festive season can be really difficult for some, with the added stress or increasing loneliness. Check on your friends, family and neighbours to make sure they're ok. You could even offer a place at the table to someone you know would otherwise be alone on the big day. If you find yourself feeling down, or getting stressed, take a breath and talk to someone.