Want more Christmas spirit, less Christmas waste? Avoid, reduce, reuse and recycle right with these 10 waste-wise Christmas tips!

#1 Plan ahead – starting with a conversation

If your family Christmas celebrations usually involve mountains of presents and enough food to feed a football team, start by letting everyone know what you want to do differently this year. Having a conversation at the beginning means that everyone’s on the same page and knows what to expect. The secret to a low-waste Christmas is planning, so give yourself (and your family) plenty of time to make low-waste choices and avoid the pressure of the Christmas rush.

People often feel protective or nostalgic around their Christmas traditions, so you may need to take a slow and steady approach! Maybe this year you can get everyone on board with a Secret Santa and reusable tableware, then look at decorations and food waste next year.

#2 Reduce your recipient list

No, you’re not a grinch. You can achieve more by giving less this Christmas. Why not try:

Secret Santa – a great way to reduce waste while buying someone something they actually want. Discuss budget and provide extended family members with a wish-list to avoid well-intentioned but unwanted items.

Encourage shared gifts – buying for a family? Joint ‘family gifts’ like board games, family passes or activities can be a way of meeting everyone’s needs with one thoughtful gift that everyone can enjoy.

#3 Maximise experience

In 2019, around $400 million was spent on 10 million unwanted Christmas gifts, many of which were discarded and likely ended up in landfill.  Research shows that experiences make people happier than material items, so why not maximise happy and minimise waste with these low-waste Christmas gift ideas.

The gift of experience – Movies, day spas, hot air balloon trips, zoo passes, courses, classes, memberships, and restaurant vouchers are a great way to support the local economy while making memories instead of waste.

The gift of your time – Are you known for your skills in cooking, baking, sewing, painting, carpentry or repairs? Do you have some extra free time? Create ‘coupons’ that allow you to gift your skills, time, and energy, for example:

• One-hour cricket lesson
• Bicycle repair session
• How to make sourdough bread lesson
• Sewing lesson
• Gifting babysitting hours to exhausted parents is priceless and completely zero-waste!

#4 Go beyond gift wrap

Each year, we use more than 150,000 kilometres of wrapping paper at Christmas – enough to wrap around the Earth’s equator almost four times.

Avoid single-use and try re-usable wrapping. How about:

• Fabric secured with reusable ribbon or furoshiki knots
• Scarves or tea towels for a gift-wrapped-in-a-gift
• Reusable gift bags or boxes
• Old newspaper, maps or music sheets for a vintage feel
• Useful storage baskets

You’re only limited by your imagination!

To take your gift wrapping to the next level, add reusable fabric ribbon or natural materials such as a sprig of rosemary, or make a gift bow from a magazine page.

Most wrapping paper contains plastic and isn’t recyclable – so your best bet is to avoid single-use paper altogether!

#5 Make it heartfelt

If gift-giving is your love language, choose gifts that support the circular economy. Consider:

Zero waste gifts – is your gift recipient just starting out on a low-waste journey? Zero waste alternatives to single use items items like straws, coffee cups, produce or shopping bags make useful, re-usable gifts. See Plastic Free July for more great zero-waste gift ideas.

Pre-loved gifts – your local op-shop is a treasure trove of fabulous finds! Alternatively, you can responsibly re-gift items you don’t want – just make sure to follow re-gifting etiquette!

Make it yourself – make or bake gifts for loved ones. There is no shortage of inspiration, and you can dial the difficulty up or down depending on your skill level. A simple recipe in a (reused) jar makes a great gift!

Shop local – support the local economy and reduce the travel miles by buying local and handmade items. Christmas markets are a great place to start.

Support a cause – avoid unnecessary gifts altogether and donate funds to a charity or worthy cause.

#6 Deck the halls with what you have

Reuse what you already have and consider natural alternatives to store-bought plastic decorations.

Need a tree? Spruce things up with a real one! Enjoy the real scent of pine in your living room, or go unconventional with a fruit tree or native woolly bush that you can plant after the festive season.

Get crafty with DIY handmade decorations and DIY bon-bons.

Re-use your tableware – swap disposables for reusables. Catering for a crowd? Consider hiring instead of buying, or check your local op-shop for second-hand options.

#7 Fare wisely

Cook less – menu planning is key to avoid festive food waste. Get your flour, grains, spices, dried fruit and other pantry staples from a bulk food store – you’ll be able to buy the exact quantities you need so nothing goes to waste (and you can BYO reusable jars and containers to minimise single-use packaging).

Choose seasonal – local, seasonal produce is better for you and the planet. It travels less food miles, making it readily available, cheaper, fresher, more nutritious, tastier and better quality.

Eat brighter – liven up your festive fare with less meat and more colourful, vegetable-based Christmas recipes.

Prepare and store food properly – avoid food waste by storing food at correct temperatures.

#8 Pay it forward – return unwanted gifts

There are many ways to subtly and responsibly manage unwanted gifts. Returning to the store of purchase, re-selling, donating or re-gifting to someone other than the giver are all options.

#9 Get creative with leftovers

Christmas leftovers don’t need to be boring! Visit Love Food Hate Waste for leftover meal inspiration. Avoid food waste by freezing portions of things you won’t be able to eat in time.

#10 Remember to recycle

Recycling bin overflowing? Bring your excess recyclables like cardboard, polystyrene, bottles and containers to the West Metro Recycling Centre – open every day of the festive season except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day (check our website for opening hours). You can also collect up your eligible containers and take them to a Containers for Change point to make a donation or get your refund.