Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Trending
    • Interview: Lewis Thompson, VP Sport
    • En Garde!
    • BUWRU Still on Top
    • Hidden Histories: With The Archaeology Society
    • Beabadoobee Concert Review: Welcome to Beatopia
    • Taylor Swift: Midnights Review – The Stories of 13 Sleepless Nights
    • Claire Concert Review: Claire Cottrill in Concert!
    • Is There Hope For Percy Jackson?
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Flickr
    Seren
    • News & Politics
      1. Local News
      2. UK News
      3. Uni News
      4. World News
      5. Politics
      6. Comment
      7. Business
      Featured

      SABB Election: The Full Result Breakdown

      By Emily ReadMarch 20, 20210
      Recent

      Redevelopment plans and the culture of Bangor

      October 28, 2022

      Immediate closure of Menai Bridge following reports of structural integrity issues

      October 28, 2022

      Racial abuse victim calls for harsher sentencing following nightclub assault

      October 28, 2022
    • Arts & Culture
      1. Books
      2. Games
      3. Film
      4. Music
      5. TV
      6. Creative Corner
      Featured

      Bangor alumni podcast earns Hollywood cameo & BBC features

      By Amelia SmithMarch 7, 20210
      Recent

      Beabadoobee Concert Review: Welcome to Beatopia

      October 29, 2022

      Taylor Swift: Midnights Review – The Stories of 13 Sleepless Nights

      October 29, 2022

      Claire Concert Review: Claire Cottrill in Concert!

      October 29, 2022
    • Lifestyle
      1. Fashion
      2. Food and Drink
      3. Social
      4. Health and Beauty
      5. Travel
      Featured

      Country Highlight: The Netherlands

      By Emily ShoultsMay 6, 20220
      Recent

      Gilmore Garms

      October 28, 2022

      Fleeces and Funk

      October 28, 2022

      Cheerleading: Getting your kit together

      October 28, 2022
    • Discovery
      1. Science
      2. Environment
      3. History
      4. International
      Featured

      Brewing up a Storm: The History of Guinness

      By Emily ReadMarch 20, 20210
      Recent

      North Wales Ramblings

      October 28, 2022

      Hamza Yassin: The Hard Work That Is Making Luck Happen

      October 28, 2022

      Student’s Union Hosts Repair Cafe for Sustainability Awareness Week

      October 28, 2022
    • Sport
      1. Varsity 2019
      2. Varsity 2018
      3. Varsity 2017
      4. Varsity 2016
      5. Varsity 2015
      6. Varsity 2014
      7. Varsity 2013
        • Varsity 2013 Results
        • Varsity 2013 – In tweets
      Featured

      Bangor Muddogs’ American Football: a young woman finding her place

      By Jade HillMarch 23, 20210
      Recent

      Interview: Lewis Thompson, VP Sport

      October 29, 2022

      En Garde!

      October 29, 2022

      BUWRU Still on Top

      October 29, 2022
    • Students’ Union
      1. Union News
      2. Societies
      3. Volunteering
      4. Clubs
      Featured

      INTERVIEW: Be Period Positive

      By Caroline CartmillMarch 17, 20210
      Recent

      Interview: Lewis Thompson, VP Sport

      October 29, 2022

      En Garde!

      October 29, 2022

      BUWRU Still on Top

      October 29, 2022
    • Issues
      • Current Issue
      • This year’s issues
      • Last year’s issues
      • Seren Archive
      • Seren Teams
    Seren
    Home»Discovery»Environment»Have Yourself a Zero Waste Christmas
    Environment

    Have Yourself a Zero Waste Christmas

    Patrycja BialeckasBy Patrycja BialeckasDecember 10, 2019No Comments4 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Christmas is considered one of the most wasteful times of the year; in the UK, we produce 30% more waste than usual during the festive season. Here are some tips and tricks on making Christmas more pleasant for you and the environment.

    Food

    Food is the staple of Christmas. It wouldn’t feel right without the turkey, roast potatoes and cranberry sauce. You don’t need to cut down on this to be eco-friendly, just be more conscious of what you put in your basket. Try to buy package free food by visiting your local butchers or shopping in stores like Morrisons which tend to have more plastic free veg than other stores. You can organise with your family, or whoever you’re spending Christmas with, on who brings what to dinner so there will be less waste or leftovers. 4.2 million Christmas dinners in the UK are wasted each year. If you do end up with extra food, giving to a homeless shelter is an amazing way to give to others and share the Christmas spirit (make sure to check up on which shelters accept leftover food in advance). If not, then it would be a great time to share with your neighbours or there are loads of recipes online which use up leftover Christmas food like pies, turkey noodles and tray bakes. The possibilities are endless so there really is no excuse, but in the worst case scenario, COMPOST!

    Presents

    Aside from birthdays, Christmas is the only other time you can get excited about gifts and giving to others. But did you know it is one of the most wasteful activities of the year? Wrapping paper’s sole purpose is to just get ripped up and binned, 227,000 miles of it is thrown out each year! There are many great alternatives you can use instead. Newspapers and brown paper are really cheap, some even cheaper than Poundland wrapping paper, and they give your presents a vintage feel. You can use materials like scarfs which serve as a present too or you can buy/make simple bags which can be reused each year and passed along friend groups. If you’re super picky then you can always buy recycled wrapping paper from certain brands, just make sure it is recycled afterwards as well. The presents that you wrap usually come in their own plastic packaging. It is much more special to make something or give someone an experience as a present. I received a coasteering experience from my friend once and it was honestly, my favourite present to date. Memories are much better gifts than an earring you’ll never wear. If you live near charity shops, you can even find brand new items that are sold for a fraction of the original price and the main idea is that you’re not buying from a plastic-producing company so you’re not creating a demand for them.

    Did you know, 1 billion Christmas cards which are thrown out aren’t recycled? Cards are so much cuter handmade and should only be sent to people you really care about. Otherwise, did you know you can send digital cards? They create that same one minute of joy you get when opening a card without the waste that usually follows.

    Decoration

    Some people decorate to impress others. We’ve all seen pictures of those crazy homes in America which are covered in performing lights. It’s not only a waste of money but it’s a huge drain on energy. Decorations should be something personal to you and something that gets you in the Christmas spirit. You can buy many decorations in charity shops or online for amazing prices or even make them yourself. You can even give these as presents to friends and family. If you have decorations already, reuse them or give them to a loving home! Things like plastic decorations are important to reuse until they have lived their life. It’s so much worse to throw them out and replace them when they can live in another home and not pollute an animal’s habitat.

     

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Patrycja Bialeckas

    Related Posts

    North Wales Ramblings

    October 28, 2022

    Hamza Yassin: The Hard Work That Is Making Luck Happen

    October 28, 2022

    Student’s Union Hosts Repair Cafe for Sustainability Awareness Week

    October 28, 2022

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    MORE INFORMATION
    • ABOUT
    • ADVERTISE
    • CONTACT US
    • GET INVOLVED
    • MEMBERS
    Links
    • Bangor University Bangor University
    • Google+ Google+
    • Undeb Bangor Undeb Bangor
    About

    Seren is Bangor University Students’ Union’s English Language Newspaper

    We have editorial independence from both Bangor University and Bangor Students’ Union. Seren is written by students for students and we’d love you to get involved!

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.