A lot has happened this year and many of us are becoming more aware of our consumption and the trail of waste it leaves behind. Christmas is a time where indulgence has become part of the tradition. It feels good to be showered with gifts but not when they have a negative impact on the environment, so this post is all about how you can give without a guilty conscience. Follow these 5 Tips to Reduce Waste this Christmas and we can all enjoy a more sustainable Christmas!

Newspaper

Why not give newspaper another use before it goes in the recycling?

Brown paper

Totally recyclable (unlike traditional wrapping paper) and really easy to make pretty by adding extra paper embellishes such as multi use rubber stamps, cut outs from old cards or your kids’ artwork. You can even add some springs of foliage or dried flowers for a really unique natural look.

If you want to buy meaningful, planet friendly gifts for your friends and family then consider a new innovative and sustainable gift that they may have not seen before; think reusable straws and plastic free tooth brushing kits. We at Dearest Fannie have created the perfect guilt-free gift for the environmentally conscious beauty lover; Our Ditsy Cloth is a reusable makeup remover that can be used again and again. To remove makeup, simply add warm water and wipe away. You can use your Ditsy Cloth as many times as you like before placing it into a washing machine with all your other clothes.

FOOD

We understand Christmas is a very busy time for all, there are presents to wrap, work to be done and socialising to look forward to. Food is one section of your Christmas that can add to our carbon footprint as well as producing a lot of waste. Rather than buying pre-packaged, prepared ingredients consider buying seasonal and locally grown. Grab a friend or family member to help out and peel and chop all our own veg so there’s no need for any plastic packaging. There are a lot of amazing vegan goodies, sweet and savoury that will come in plastic but let’s do our best to take what we need and make the rest ourselves!

CHRISTMAS CARDS

Let’s make a pledge to not buy anymore cards wrapped in plastic. Many shops are removing this plastic but there is still some way to go. Why not try and find a card made from recycled paper? There are plenty sold at Charity shops, where your money will go to charities in need. Greener Beauty have a great selection of cards made by vegan ethical businesses, all made from recycled card and using plant based vegan inks. The 1 Tree cards range plant a tree for every card bought and when you add that to the fact that Greener Beauty also plant a tree for every order you really can’t go wrong!