Holden Sydney

A mountain of Christmas gifts and goods make their way from stores and into homes each Christmas season. Regrettably, not long after the festivities subside, many of those well-intentioned gifts move on to mounds of landfill.

Slowing the migration is as easy as setting your family the Green Christmas Challenge to send as little as possible to landfill this Christmas. Inspired by the target of a approximately empty wheelie bin, you will all make decisions that generate less waste.

Many actions contribute to celebrating a green Christmas, like locally-grown foods to reduce food miles, switching to LED eco Christmas lights and donating gifts to charities. The massive amount of food, plastic and non-recyclable waste is the principle environmental problem, but it is a simple one for households to tackle.

Sit the team down before Christmas and talk about ways to reuse, reduce and recycle. Here’s some ideas you started…

Eco friendly plastic-free picnics
Disposable plastic plates and cups are created from petrochemicals, so pollution is made in their manufacture and when thrown-away they sit in landfill forever. Opt for reusable plates that you wash up or use palm leaf plates, a stylish plant alternative. They add a chic eco friendly style to your festive table and can be put onto your garden as mulch, instead of in the bin.

Trim a living tree
When Santa arrives in his carbon-neutral sleigh, surprise him with a live Australian Wollemi pine tree. This recently discovered prehistoric tree is now available in nurseries. A potted Wollemi can grow with your family to be trimmed year after year. Or, why not a tradition to find a lovely Eucalyptus branch that can be composted when the Christmas festivities are over.

Wrap it again
A great stretch the budget and save piles of waste is to wrap presents in newspaper, magazines and even junk mail. For children use the comics, for car lovers use the motoring pages. Rather than wrapping, place gifts inside reusable shopping bags, or sew cloth bags from festive Christmas material that your family can re-tie with ribbon every year. For an extra special Green Christmas touch, Earth Greetings make pleasurable post consumer waste wrapping paper with Australian Christmas designs printed with vegetable inks.

Detour past the bin
Ask yourself, is this Christmas gift likely to end up in the bin within a couple of weeks? If yes, opt for something else. The old saying quality not quantity is a great friend of the planet. Even the cheapest items use the planet’s limited resources, energy and water to manufacture. Instead of buy a risky gift, think about a gift voucher or make a donation to a charity on behalf of the individual. Should you receive an unsuitable gift, pass it straight on to a charity such as the Salvos.

A green Christmas gift for your garden
Food scraps make up a large portion of rubbish and once in landfill they generate methane, a concentrated greenhouse gas. Compost at home instead and turn leftovers into fertiliser for your garden. The Bokashi composting bin is a popular system that sits conveniently in your kitchen.

Packaging-free paradise
Picture a paradise where Christmas morning is clear of mounds of discarded plastic packaging. It only takes a little extra thought and effort. Locally made and hand-made Christmas gifts are to be over-packaged. A trip to the local Farmer’s Markets help you stock up on fresh festive food with minimal packaging.

As opposed to talking rubbish; this Christmas, your family will soon be asking is this for landfill, recycling or composting? And the joy of achieving your challenge will bring good tidings to all.

Biome Eco Stores is a chic retail outlet with a conscience. Firmly committed to eco friendly principles, Biome offers a unique and meaningful green Christmas collection for gifts and decoration.