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In the excitement of Christmas, it's very easy to be distracted by the glitter and the gold, but the most magical time of the year doesn’t also have to be the most wasteful.
Local environmentalist Sheena Brockie, of the Good Jersey Life and Plastic Free Jersey, has shared her five tips to go waste-free this Christmas...
A little bit of forward planning can make a huge difference when it comes to waste free christmas food. The central markets are a hub of local, delicious food options - from butchers to fishmongers to greengrocers. Take your own bags and containers and buy only the amount you need - not the prepackaged portions which are the mainstay of most supermarkets.
Pictured: Sheena encourages islanders to buy in bulk at shops like Scoop.
With shops like Scoop and Minimall you can also buy bulk, dry goods packaging free too. If you do find yourself with excess food - don’t let it go to waste - try freezing it or gift it locally through the OLIO app.
We are smothered by stuff and clutter, and Christmas seems to have turned into a commercial shopping event. Plastic reigns in the gifting world, and most of the gifts themselves are shrouded in cardboard and more plastic, and it’s especially difficult with gifts for children. Why not consider gifting experiences instead?
Pictured: There are many fun things to do in Jersey and they could all make nice gifts says Sheena.
Cinema tickets, a day out at Durrell, membership to Jersey Heritage or even blo-karting - there are so many fun things to do whilst making memories that last! If you really must give a physical gift then why not consider a locally made, hand crafted gift item. We are lucky to have a huge range of local talent creating meaningful gifts for us, here in Jersey.
Home-made gifts are always a huge win. Keen cook? Then a gift of home-made jam, chutney, cookies or cakes will be received with delight. Nimble fingers? Hand sewn, crocheted or knitted gifts add that personal connection. Green thumb? A pot of home grown herbs or flowers will keep on giving well past Christmas day itself.
Pictured: Home made gifts, like Sheena's hat created with love by her mum Chris, make great Christmas gifts.
Even better - give a gift of local wildflower seeds and help the pollinators thrive next next year. They really need our help.
Did you know that much of our Christmas wrapping paper and cards can’t be recycled because of contamination such as sellotape, glitter, plastics and foil?
Pictured: Brown paper doesn't have to be plain! (Berni Martin)
For wrapping presents, why not get creative with brown paper as a natural alternative! Mix it up with colourful stamps or some festive holly or ivy and named with a paper luggage label. Fun to make and fully recyclable.
We’ve come a long way since Tom Smith, a sweet maker from London, created the first crackers in 1845. Crackers are such a deep set tradition that it wouldn’t feel like Christmas if we didn’t have them at the dinner table. But all the plastic wrapping, non-recyclable paper and plastic toys (which are thrown away before the Christmas pudding is even served) just isn’t sustainable.
Pictured: A donation to Shelter UK to replace crackers' plastic toys, a win-win for Sheena.
This year I’ve been delighted to find alternative crackers. You still get to pull the crackers, read the bad jokes and wear the silly hat for three minutes - but minus the plastic gimmicks! At the end of the day all materials are compostable/recyclable and a donation is made to Shelter UK in lieu of the plastic toy. A win all round.
Merry Christmas, and here’s to a sustainable New Year in 2019.
The views in this article are those of the author and not of Bailiwick Express.
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