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Forget a white Christmas, I want a green one! I have been thinking about some of the best zero waste Christmas gifts and why they are worthy of our consideration if we care about the environment.
Even if you don’t buy them for others, you can request them as gifts for yourself.
A low waste Christmas
We hear a lot about the problem of plastic waste pollution these days. Most people say they would like to reduce the amount of plastic that they consume. If you are one of them, the festive season is likely to be a frustrating and alarming period. There is so much waste!
However, you don’t have to be part of the problem. How about using the power of your wallet to support businesses producing items that are more eco-friendly? You could consider giving presents to your loved ones that help to promote a low waste lifestyle rather than add to the 8.3 billion tons of plastic that has been produced since 1950.
Reducing your waste
There are lots of ways that you can reduce your waste this Christmas, actually. For example, you could join the #cutthewrap campaign and pledge to ditch single use wrapping paper. You could send emails and e-cards instead of actual Christmas cards that are destined for the recycling or, worse still, the bin.
Christmas food seems to be a waste trigger point too. Many of us simply buy too much and don’t consider how leftovers will be used or stored. I have been on a mission to reduce food waste for a while, and I don’t want to spoil that because of a few days in December. I also don’t want to bust the budget buying food that won’t get eaten.
But back to gift giving. We have reduced the number of presents we give overall these days. However, there are likely to be people you really want to buy for. Here are some ideas for the best zero waste gifts around.
The best zero waste gifts to give this Christmas
Buy second hand
The best zero waste gift will always be something second hand! When my daughters were little I almost always bought them used. This was mainly to save money, but actually it meant far less packaging coming into the house.
Now I frequently buy second hand clothing, books and bric-a-brac to give as gifts and I’m really happy to receive something pre-loved as well.
Buy an experience
Most people don’t need more stuff and might appreciate an experience instead. For example, Buy a Gift* do a good range of vouchers that make lovely presents, from spa days, adventure experiences, days out or afternoon tea for two.
Alternatively, see if local attractions have annual pass cards that you can purchase or consider a membership to the National Trust or English Heritage* for a low waste gift that lasts all year.
A digital subscription
You can buy magazine subscriptions you can read online nowadays so that you can have your favourite magazine with you wherever you are. If you do an internet search you will find an array of options.
Books
Books can also be purchased as a download through Kindle, of course. (You can get a 30-day free trial of Kindle here*). However, if your recipient doesn’t use Kindle, you could buy them one of the following as an actual paper book:
Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life*
F**k Plastic: 101 ways to free yourself from plastic and save the world
Beauty for Life. A concise guide to Zero Waste Natural Beauty, DIY skin-care and natural make-up*.
Real books tend to be a good low waste gift option as they will usually be read, re-read and then passed on. You won’t get any packaging in a book shop (as long as you refuse the bag they offer). Amazon send them out in recyclable and, better still, reusable cardboard, so are a reasonably low waste option.
Another possibility is to buy a subscription to an audio book service such as Audible. I absolutely love audio books these days. They are great for long journeys. However, they do tend to send me to sleep at bedtime and I lose the plot! You can get a free Audible book here*, after which it costs £7.99 per month unless you cancel.
Books are something I frequently buy second hand as gifts – I have some ready in my gift box for my lot this Christmas.
Zero waste gifts for the bathroom
Christmas must be the busiest time of the year for retailers of smellies! But they don’t have to be triple packaged in plastic and card. There are lots of nice alternatives now.
For example, shampoo bars. I ditched plastic shampoo bottles ages ago in favour of these, which generally arrive in cardboard or paper.
Not all of the ones I have tried have been nice. One made my hair so dry and another left a layer of something on it that I had to wash out again. Fairly pointless. If you buy online, check out the reviews. These Ucradle ones
A selection of solid soaps can be a good gift too to negate the need for hand and body wash in plastic containers. I found a gift pack of nine Cath Kidston ones in the charity shop for £2.50! Keeping these for myself…
I received a Bambaw Safety Razor*
Bamboo toothbrushes and Reusable Bamboo Makeup Remover Pads*
Best zero waste gifts for the kitchen
I have been using the beeswax wraps I was gifted several months ago, and they have dramatically cut the amount of cling film we use.
I think this plastic free Beeswax Food Wrap Kit
If I didn’t have most of the contents already, I would definitely be putting this Ultimate Eco Friendly Kitchen Set
It contains three beeswax wraps, 4 reusable produce bags, 2 reusable silicone bags, 2 bamboo utensils, 2 wooden dish brushes and 1 roll of reusable bamboo kitchen towels.
Best gifts for when you are on the move
These are often the first things that people think about purchasing when they are trying to reduce their waste, but nevertheless are really useful and make great stocking fillers.
My reusable coffee mug lives in my handbag, as do a couple of cloth shopping bags. We rarely leave the house without our glass water bottles either. I really prefer these to plastic bottles as they don’t taint the water. It tastes so much better.
You could go a stage further with a water bottle and buy one with a built in filter*
A bamboo or metal lunchbox is also useful for taking lunch out. I have both and prefer the bamboo one. This kit*
This idea is a bit off the wall, but for someone trying to cut their car journeys, an old-fashioned granny trolley is so useful! I bought mine second hand for when I go to boot sales, but recently it has come into its own for trudging to the post office with my eBay parcels or for a trip to the local shops.
It is worth buying a fairly substantial one like this MFAVOUR one*
Other ideas for zero waste Christmas gifts
Edible consumables are always good, like hand made sweets and chocolates, home baked cakes or a selection of nice teas such as this plastic free Pukka Tea Selection Box
The Ethical Superstore* is a great place to look for foodie and plastic free gifts and have a lovely range of sustainable hampers.
Every effort is worthwhile
I have to admit that it’s very hard to find completely zero waste Christmas gifts. Most will have some kind of packaging. However, you can make sure it’s in recyclable/reusable paper and card at least. All we can do is make an good effort and hope to bring our friends and family along with us. Hopefully you will raise awareness and show people how easy it is to reduce their waste into 2020.
I’m not sending Christmas cards this year at all. Now that I’m not at work I won’t feel obliged to give them to all my colleagues! I have a few left over that I will give to the neighbours but everyone else will get an email version.
I would love to hear your ideas for giving sustainable eco-friendly presents and what you would like to receive this year. Let me know in the comments!
Su says
I am going to struggle to not use single use wrapping paper! Wrapping presents and making them look nice is the only thing about Christmas that I really like. I generally use recycled brown paper and have a yearly theme, I still have some paper left. To me gifts look a bit forlorn if not nicely wrapped.
I buy so few presents and the people I do buy for are all on board with trying to reduce our environmental impact, but even the simplest and most mundane of products have at least some plastic.
Margie from Toronto says
Friends and family have all agreed to reduce gift buying in the past few years which has made Christmas much less stressful! I tend to go for either experiences, GC, memberships etc. or for consumables. So many of us are downsizing that i seems foolish to add more to the clutter pile. The on exception I make is for books – my friends are readers, don’t mind second hand and will pass them along – so always a good idea.
Julia says
There is nothing more depressing at this time of year than walking down the Christmas aisles seeing all the tat (plastic or otherwise) and the same old boring offerings year after year – yes, smellies/make up gift sets , I’m looking at you!
If this is what’s on offer in the shops, no wonder people look online for inspiration.
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
I guess people buy the tat! It’s fine if they use it but I wonder what percentage is shoved in the cupboard and forgotten about?
Karen says
We have drawn names this year for the first time, my husband, me, 3 children and one spouse. Every time I think about it I smile. I’m giving my siblings families a group gift of a food basket. It is so much simpler than it used to be.
I sew reusable fabric gift bags. So no buying paper.
I recently sewed a ‘zero waste starter kit’ as a gift-crocheted dishcloths, 2 sets of cloth napkins (one set Christmas, one set ordinary), and a canvas shopping bag. It was very gratefully received.
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
Love that! What a great gift
Sandra says
I dislike experience type gifts. No I don’t want to go to a spa – why? Ughhh! Or go in an air balloon or so on. Food gifts that are handmade will not be eaten as how do I know and trust the hygiene of the person who made them?
Don’t buy me a present that has as its primary consideration how much it cost or how quick and easy it was to make, something that will ‘do’ as a present. I would rather a pretty card – which I will keep and treasure not put in the bin and not receive a ‘gift’. Cards in my family over several generations have always been considered far more important to us recipients than a gift. No gift, no worries, no card equals sad face.
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
Interesting! I suppose a thoughtfully written card is as good as a gift anyway. I love a spa day, but there are only so many I want to do. You have to know the person you are buying for. My parents, for example, love a cream tea so are always happy to receive one. At their age they don’t need more stuff.