Wasteful Things to Avoid This Christmas
Happy Holidays! Let’s talk about some wasteful things I (and you guys on Instagram, thanks for the input!) HATE about the holidays in this holiday theme anti-haul.
Gift Wrap/Gift Accessories
This was a popularly hated item when it comes to Christmas waste and it’s a fair point. The obvious waste I think we all hate is plastic bows, ribbons, and glitter. It’s all just for show and will be thrown away in a few minutes, outliving all of us in a landfill somewhere. At least wrapping paper serves a purpose by hiding the gift. That being said, I also got a ton of responses saying people hated wrapping paper too and I totally agree. Most wrapping paper is made of plastic entirely or is plastic-coated paper rendering it non-recyclable. Even if you use 100% paper wrapping but leave the plastic tape on it, it can’t be recycled. So, choose 100% paper like brown Kraft paper or from brands like Wrappily or even choose reusable wrapping paper like cloth or bags.
Another one I totally forgot about was excess wrapping. For example, wrapping something in paper just to put it inside another box or another bag. What’s the point?
I thought this one was a great item to anti-haul from Aleks and that is to/from tags. It makes sense if you’re sending gifts via mail, but if you’re hand-delivering gifts, you don’t need a tag. If they do need to be labeled (I grew up in a big family, so we did need a way to distinguish gifts from one another) just write on the paper with a marker or pen, you don’t need a tag. Or color-code gifts for each family member!
I’m anti-hauling excess wrapping, wrapping accessories, and improper recycling
Learn more about zero-waste gift wrapping in this video
Similar to that is Unwanted Gifts
I talked about this more in-depth in my “How to make Christmas eco-friendly” video that came out a week or two ago, but in short, I hate them. This could be anything from low-quality knick-knacks used just to make a stocking look full, to joke gifts that you give out at Secret Santa, to even items you buy someone (or they buy you) that you think they will like.
First, let’s normalize telling people what we want for the holidays and normalize asking what people want as well. You don’t have to give them just one option, give them a list so they can still surprise you without buying you something you will immediately discard.
Something I really hate about the holidays is White Elephant. I shouldn’t say I hate it in its entirety, because it can be a lot of fun, but it can also be extremely wasteful. If you do it this year, make sure people are doing it intentionally and either decluttering something from their home to regift or buying something people can actually use. I did white elephant one year and some of the gifts were a bedpan and an old VHS tape. Who’s going to use those?
So, I’m anti-hauling wasteful gifts destined for the landfill
Check out some eco-friendly gift ideas in these videos:
The ultimate eco-friendly gift guide with zero waste swaps 2019
Eco-friendly stocking stuffers for this eco gift guide 2020
An eco-friendly gift guide 2021
Other gifting traditions I hate
The answers I got on Instagram were great, I’ve never thought of these. First, feeling obligated to get almost everyone a gift from friends to coworkers to your second cousin whom you only see every other year at family gatherings. It seems weird that we buy gifts for people we rarely or never talk to just because “they’re family” or “they work with you.” Like, I don’t even know what to get my parents let alone cousins, etc. Give gifts meaningfully. Buy with intention, not obligation.
A few of us also agree that we need to anti-haul people hating on thrifted gifts. Just because someone else didn’t want it doesn’t mean the person you’re giving it to doesn’t want it either. If people are weird about it, wrap it up all nicely and don’t tell them it was thrifted. And also have a talk with people in your life about the importance of shopping second hand.
This one is more for the corporations, so hopefully, Toys R Us is listening. That is overly packaged children’s toys. I feel like you have to get through so many levels of security just to get to the Hot Wheels or the Barbie! Why so much waste? Not to mention, a majority of it is plastic that can’t even be recycled.
The last gift-related item we are anti-hauling is people thinking that more, cheap gifts are more meaningful than a few, wanted, high-quality gifts. Junk doesn’t equal joy.
Let’s anti-haul all of these wasteful gifting practices.
Food Waste
Moving on to the food categories, first, we have to anti-haul food waste. Again, I outline this topic more in my “How to Make Christmas Sustainable” video/post, but in short, we often wayyyy over-cook for the holidays which leads to massive amounts of food waste. Cook according to how many people are coming to your gathering or have a plan for leftovers. Have guests bring along some reusable containers to take leftovers home with them so everyone can enjoy some extra holiday food without any of it going to waste.
Too many food gifts
Listen, this was an Instagram suggestion, I don’t think there is such a thing. But, I get it. If you get a box or chocolates from every person for the holidays, that’s a lot of chocolate to consume and a ton of packaging. That being said, I think edible gifts are great as they are low waste and almost never go wrong. So, be mindful about how much food you are sharing during the holidays.
Disposable plates/cutlery
I see the importance. Not everyone has the means to wash that many dishes or even own that many dishes. So, if it’s a large gathering, I get it. If you need or want disposables, I think you should check out Repurpose. They make all your disposable needs out of 100% paper or 100% bioplastic meaning no wasteful creation of plastic. But, if you have the means, I suggest you use reusables. We don’t use that many dishes at home, so when we need to host, we ask guests to bring a plate for themselves or we go out and thrift a few plates to use. Thrifting dishes and cutlery is super cheap. So, I’m anti-hauling disposables, especially Styrofoam and other plastics.
Trees
Let’s move on to decorations and trees. First, cutting down trees. I was confused at first when I read this comment, but they elaborated. Watch this video here to learn more about why real trees are better than fake trees, but if you choose a real tree, the way to really maximize the eco-friendliness of it all is to keep the tree alive and replant it outdoors after the holiday season. Let’s anti-haul cutting down and throwing trees into the landfill. At the very least, if you cut it down, turn it into mulch by finding a Christmas tree recycling program in your city.
Fake Snow
Gunna be honest, I’ve never heard of this, but I did some investigating. I imagine this is for people in places like the South/Southwest who don’t get any snow. Some are biodegradable, but most are not. Most are made of plastic. That’s right, you’re just sprinkling microplastics all over your tree. This is obviously terrible for the environment especially if you do this to a real tree that is either going to be composted, mulched, or replanted, but it’s also bad for you! It’s hard to say what this will end up in in your house but potentially the air you breathe and the food you eat. Please steer clear of this this holiday season, we are anti-hauling plastic snow.
Tinsel
In that vein, let’s go ahead and anti-haul tinsel. We all know it’s wasteful, tiny pieces of plastic string, the only purpose being to make your tree shiny. Just use lights or reusable things like ornaments and garlands. It’s reusable sure, but so hard to make sure every piece is accounted for.
Littering
Wait, what does this have to do with Christmas? This is something new I’ve noticed since living somewhere where pines and other conifers grow naturally. It is much too common to see loads of Christmas decorations on our public lands in December/January. People just leave it. Plastic ornaments, plastic garland, etc turns to litter and breaks down into microplastics super fast in the desert heat. So, don’t do this.
Buying new decorations every year
It’s simple to just use what you have and saves you so much money. And clearly, it’s better for the planet. Especially if you’re buying a brand new every year AND throwing them away. Please don’t do that. Instead, let’s use what we already have, donate what we no longer need, and buy second-hand when we do need something else. Buy timeless pieces instead of buying into trends.
Lights
I bet you all saw this one coming, we are anti-hauling leaving your lights on all day, every day for the entire month (or two months) you have them up. Few people are going to be home during the day and they’re so hard to see in the day anyway. Similarly, few people are going to be awake all hours of the night. So, save yourself some money and prevent some fossil fuels from being burned by turning off your Christmas lights when you’re not using them.
“Ugly” Sweaters
I hate this trend so much. It used to be fun when I was younger when people would wear truly ugly sweaters they inherited from grandmothers and aunts, etc. But now, it’s a capitalist thing. Companies making brand new, purposefully ugly (or sometimes not even ugly) made from cheap materials and likely unethical labor. So, find a sweater second-hand and use it over and over again instead of buying a brand new one every year.
Baby’s First Christmas
I get it, a little ornament or memento is super cute and practical. Where it gets out of hand is when you buy an abundance of onesies or even family clothes with “baby’s first” on them. You only wear them once. Every baby only has one first Christmas, and they don’t need a special shirt to document it. If you have a photo of your baby in front of a Christmas tree the year they were born, it’s pretty clear it’s their first Christmas.
What else do you hate about the holiday season? Check out my other holiday-themed content to learn more about how to have a more sustainable Christmas.
Tips for a zero waste Christmas
DIY upcycled Christmas decorations
Real Christmas trees vs fake Christmas trees
How to have an eco-friendly Christmas
Zero waste gift wrapping ideas
Thanks for reading and as always, remember your small actions have a big impact in the long run :)
Emma
