Reducing waste during festivities

By reducing and reusing, you can reduce waste during festive days and holidays.

Shopping for presents

Avoid receiving gifts you never use by signing up to the No Unnecessary Presents Pact. This is a mutual agreement between friends not to buy gifts for the sake of it.
Treat people to a special experience instead of an item such as theatre tickets, a subscription to a favourite magazine or a weekend of pampering at a spa.
Find gifts from charity shops, antique markets and vintage clothing shops. You'll be giving a unique present, as well as re-using what already exists.
Buy recycled! There are wide ranges of items that are made from recycled materials from jewellery, to jumpers. Visit recycled products guide.
Buy rechargeable batteries for toys and electrical gadgets - for every 500 charges you’ll save 499 batteries being thrown away!
Make your own gifts to avoid all the over packaging. Not only will it give a more personal touch it could save you money. You could try making edible gifts or be inspired by these quirky gifts made from everyday stuff.

Buy fruit and vegetables without packaging. You can choose the best produce too.
Buy local and seasonal - you will be helping support the local economy and reduce the distance your food travels. Travel adds substantially to CO₂ emissions which is why food miles matter. For a list of local farmers markets visit www.lfm.org.uk.
Use a reusable shopping bag or reuse old plastic bags.

Make your freezer your friend during festivities and use it to keep food for longer to avoid food becoming waste in the first place.
If you are cooking for more people than usual, a portion calculator may come in handy and also leftover food can be made into another delicious meal.
For food waste that can't be eaten remember to use your food waste recycling service.

Sending free Ecards saves trees, are easily personalised and some charity websites provide designs for a donation.
Choose charity cards and wrapping paper, made from recycled paper.
Furoshiki is a fun and creative style of gift wrapping using a large piece of cloth to create elegant looking presents.
Go for gift bags or boxes instead of wrapping paper. A gift bag or box can then be re-used for another occasion.
Decorate your home with natural materials. Try using sprigs of holly, mistletoe and pinecones; these also look great around candles, mirrors or in a wreath.