Greener Days Prevail

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…except when it comes to the amount of waste we produce over the holidays!

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the holidays, and I am well aware that I produce more waste myself during this time of year. However, Zero Waste Canada states that Canadian’s household waste can increase by more than 25% during
the holiday season.

Now, I don’t think the goal should be for everyone to go zero waste, as that’s just not sustainable for most people. I think the goal should be—as I often mention on this page—to practice mindfulness in reducing our waste and carrying that over all year round as well.

So, here are some easy ways I reduce my waste and think more sustainably over the holiday season. A lot of these are things that my family has always done, so it’s sort of ingrained in me, and I hope if you’re not already doing these things it inspires you to start doing them as well!

1. REUSE!

This is the biggest one for me, and the one I can’t quite grasp that so many people don’t do. Canadians send 540,000 tons of wrapping paper and gift bags to landfills each year, and a lot of that could be mitigated if we simply reuse our gift bags. Things like gift bags, boxes, bows, and ribbons can—and should—all be reused for years and years. This not only prevents perfectly good items from being sent to landfills but also helps save you money as well.**

**Tissue paper can also be reused! Even if it’s a bit too crumbled, you can still reuse it to line the bottom of a gift box or to wrap up fragile Christmas decor when you put it away after the holidays.

2. Opting for recyclable wrapping paper

Another easy way to mitigate the 540,000 tons of wrapping paper and gift bags that get sent to landfills is to opt for recyclable wrapping paper that we can place in our blue bin. Not sure if your wrapping paper is recyclable? The scrunch test is usually a good indicator. If it stays crumpled in a ball it can go in your recycling bin, if it doesn’t then it needs to go in the trash. So, try to stick with wrapping paper that isn’t shiny or sparkly, as the mixed materials means they can’t be recycled. Brown kraft paper is an even better option as it is the easiest to be recycled. Just make sure you remove the tape before placing it in your blue bin!

3. Repurposing Christmas cards

I don’t really send Christmas cards, but I do understand it’s a nostalgic tradition that a lot of people like to do. However, do you know who receives the most Christmas cards? Landfills. Each year Canadians toss a whopping 2.5 billion greeting cards, which makes us really need to rethink this tradition. Whenever I do receive a Christmas card, if it’s not something sentimental that I want to keep, I repurpose the front of the card as a gift tag. And the odd time I do send a Christmas card, I always make sure to write only on the right-hand side in the hopes the receiver also reuses the other half of the card!

4. Avoiding glitter

Did you know glitter is a microplastic? Not only is it an annoying and messy product that gets all over your home, but it also contaminates our soil, water, air, and food. It’s also considered toxic for our health due to the chemical process used in production. Though I do have some glittery Christmas decor in my home, I now try to always steer clear of it. With eco-friendly alternatives now on the market, we seriously need to rethink the abomination that is traditional glitter because it really is anything but fun.

5. Homemade candles

This is a new one for me and something my mom, siblings, and I decided to try doing last month. I love burning candles in the fall and winter, and making candles myself is something I’ve always wanted to try. There’s definitely a learning curve to candle making, but it was a fairly easy DIY to do that allowed us to make more eco-friendly candles by using cleaner ingredients and upcycling old candle jars. Hopefully, it’s an art we will perfect with more practice, and now we also have a fun, new tradition we can do every fall together!

At the end of the day, sustainability looks different for everyone based on what works with their current lifestyle and needs, and that’s okay. The holidays can be a stressful enough time for a lot of people and trying to be zero waste on top of that can add even more stress. The main thing to always remember? Always use up what you have! I don’t buy foil gift wrap or curling ribbon anymore, but I still have some that I’m using up. I also always see what sustainable practice I’d like to try incorporating next year, which right now is exploring biodegradable tape.

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays! And I hope this post helps you think more sustainably in reducing your waste during the holiday season!