Enjoy good times, not eco-crimes – go zero waste this holiday season

The festive season is around the corner and so it’s important to start thinking about celebrating Christmas and NYE parties without waste. Although it may appear to be the latest social media trend to strive for a waste-free life, you may just find that a zero-waste policy for the holiday season is one of the best things you ever do. Not only does it cut down the complications in your own life but it’s also great for the environment.

Go digital

Sending out invitations and cards is an important part of any party. However, this often creates a significant amount of paper waste that cannot be recycled. Fortunately, technology has made celebrating Christmas and NYE parties without waste easier than ever before. Most people have access to the internet, so instead of sending out traditional invitations for your next party, why not create a digital copy? There are many advantages associated with a digital invitation. Not only is it super quick to create but your guests will receive their invitations immediately, meaning that you are released from the stress of worrying about whether or not your invitations are going to get delayed or lost in the mail. Another advantage of using digital invitations is that you are not causing clutter in the homes of your loved ones. They can keep their invitation forever without worrying about it taking up space in their home. You could even create your own virtual thank you cards to send out to your guests after your event.

Ask everyone to bring a dish

Festive meals that are created as a group are a great option when celebrating Christmas and NYE parties without waste. This helps to stretch your resources and cuts down on the amount of waste you generate. Ask one friend or family member to bring along a sandwich platter while the other brings chips and dip. Once the meal is finished, everyone takes home their own dishes and you’re left without any waste to throw away. To add to the sustainability of an event like this, send everyone home with leftovers. This way, you will not be contributing to more food waste in landfill sites. If your friends and family members are not the best cooks, you could suggest that they order food that is packaged responsibly. Bahn Mi’s are often wrapped in paper which can be recycled after you have eaten. Alternatively, you could contact your favourite takeaway restaurant and ask them if they could package your food in reusable containers that you take to the restaurant.

Rethink your decorations

Nothing adds to the festivity of the festive season like strings of bunting, tinsel and plastic trees. However, this is not conducive towards celebrating Christmas and NYE parties without waste as hardly any of these materials can be recycled or reused. Instead, try to get creative when it comes to the decorations you use to brighten up your party. Why not make your own bunting from things you find in and around your home? These can then be reused at every party you host. Another option is to make your food the centrepiece of your Christmas and New Years Eve decorations. You could make beautiful platters with fruit and vegetables that complement the festive season. Once the party is over, all the food will be finished and you wind up with close to zero waste. A final waste-free decorating option revolves around using what you already have. With a few well-placed thumbtacks, you can use your scarves to create a Middle Eastern wonderland.