In the UK around 31 million adults receive unwanted Christmas gifts for £1.27 billion. Wow, that's a shocking statistic.
Prevention, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, with Recovery and finally Disposal - the principles of waste management hierarchy, conducive to the circular economy. Let's explore this during the festive season of Christmas.
Some ideas for upcycling are:
Create a Christmas wreath with a pleated look - using that unpleasant sweater or scarf, turn the garment into four parts, wrap the garment around your wreath three or four times, next wrap the thread around the fabric twice to hold it in place.
Waste-conscious Christmas décor Decorations - Doesn't gingerbread look a bit like cardboard? Yes, I thought so too. So why not use it for your ornaments? This works if you're refusing to overspend on Christmas decorations. Here are some solutions:
- Gingerbread house
- Gingerbread men garland
- Choir of angels
Donate unwanted clothes and blankets - Christmas should involve considering the less fortunate, so your first solution is to give away anything you do not want to local charities who would be happy to receive them. The homeless and rough sleepers would be excellent recipients.
Save and Regift - Repurpose the gift for a birthday or next year's Christmas; no need to throw it away.
I hope that has given you some interesting ways to utilise the waste management hierarchy at Christmas!
