WASTE - 27.11.2019

The impact of Christmas on waste

Extra waste. Each year hundreds of thousands of tonnes of extra waste is generated over the Christmas period in the UK which ends up in landfill. This comes from cards, wrapping paper and packaging. Companies are moving towards making products more environmentally sound, but there’s a long way to go.

Positive actions. Look for companies selling more environmentally friendly products. For example, John Lewis says that it’s phasing out crackers which contain plastic toys and plastic glitter in cards and wrapping paper.

Boycott. A social media campaign calling for a boycott of crackers this Christmas is gathering momentum, with hundreds of thousands on board. There’s a Change.org petition calling for Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Asda and Waitrose to stop stocking them. Crackers in particular are seen as generating far too much waste relative to their added value as almost invariably the whole lot gets put in the bin straight after the meal.

Tip 1. There’s an appetite amongst the public to forego well established traditions if they are environmentally harmful. If you provide a Christmas meal, consider alternative table decorations. If you’re a caterer, make crackers an opt in item. Many firms will be happy to lose them and this could save both money and waste.

Tip 2. If you send cards to your customers, consider the impact on the environment. You could switch to e-cards or if that doesn’t suit, purchase cards which are wholly made of recyclable materials.