{"id":61582,"date":"2025-12-19T10:03:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T15:03:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/?p=61582"},"modified":"2025-12-19T10:04:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T15:04:13","slug":"how-to-reduce-holiday-waste-50-eco-friendly-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/story\/61582\/how-to-reduce-holiday-waste-50-eco-friendly-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Reduce Holiday Waste: 50+ Eco-friendly Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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TABLE OF CONTENTS<\/h3>\n\n

Think outside the gift box \u2013 the eco-friendly gift guide<\/a><\/p>\n\n

The great tree debate: Real vs fake Christmas tree?<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Your guide to zero waste wrapping<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Deck the halls with\u2026low-waste decor<\/a><\/p>\n\n

How to reduce Holiday food waste<\/a><\/p>\n\n

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\u2018Tis the season! The eggnog lattes are on the menus, the Holiday trees have sprouted up in grocery store parking lots and pretty soon, obligatory non-stop Christmas tunes will form the soundtrack of our lives for the next month (whether we like it or not). It\u2019s beginning to feel a lot like the Holidays \u2013 and while for many it might be the most wonderful time of the year, for the planet, it has become a wasteful nightmare.<\/p>\n\n

Canada\u2019s waste production rises by more than 25%<\/a> during the Holidays. Zero Waste Canada estimates that we\u2019ll purchase and throw out an average of 6 million rolls of tape and 2.5 billion greeting cards<\/a>. Altogether, 540,000 tonnes of wrapping paper and gift bags<\/a> are thrown out each year, with Holiday waste representing a big chunk of that. <\/p>\n\n

Simply put: the Holidays have become the most wasteful time of the year.<\/p>\n\n

But it wasn\u2019t always like this. Underneath the throw-away bows and oversized Amazon boxes, there\u2019s a simpler, greener Holiday tradition to be had. So instead of a mounting pile of garbage and cheap things we don\u2019t need, let\u2019s celebrate the Holidays with our loved ones more intentionally. <\/p>\n\n

Will you take the pledge for a low waste holiday this year? Explore the Low Waste Holiday guide below! Let\u2019s get wasteless this holiday season! ?\u2728<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

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TAKE THE LOW WASTE HOLIDAY PLEDGE<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

Think Outside the Gift Box: the eco-friendly gift guide<\/h2>\n\n

With Black Friday being the unofficial kick-off of the Holiday shopping season, our inboxes and social media feeds are stuffed like a stocking with loud, shiny ads vying for our attention \u2013 and our wallets. Discounts and deals mixed with photos of beaming faces fuse the promise of a happy, peaceful Holiday with the consumption of yet more stuff<\/em>. But does all this consumption really make the Holidays better?<\/em> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

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It\u2019s not a stretch to say the Holidays have become the most wasteful time of the year \u2013 but haven\u2019t they also become the most stressful?<\/strong> According to one UK-based study, up to 80% of the items purchased on Black Friday<\/a> end up in landfills, burned in incinerators or end up in low quality recycling, often after a very short life. Meanwhile, research published in the journal of the American Heart Association found that coronary-related deaths shoot up<\/a> in December and January, something researchers attribute partially to the stress and frenzy of the Holiday season. Sitting surrounded in a mess of torn packaging and empty Amazon boxes \u2013 we have to ask ourselves: is it worth it?<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n

Before the giant corporations pull you down a rabbit hole chasing this or that perfect gift, we offer you an alternative path this Holiday season. What if we can celebrate the holidays, spread some gifts and cheer while axing the stress of shopping out of the picture?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

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How to celebrate Buy Nothing Day<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Whether you opt for zero gifts or an in-between approach, there are plenty of ways to mark the occasion without breaking the bank or hurting the planet.<\/strong> Here are a few gift ideas to help you continue to bring a little joy to your loved ones, while defending the values that inspire you and us!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

1) Time spent together is priceless<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Sometimes the best things in life\u2026aren\u2019t things. Before you think about gifting an object, think outside of the (material) box and consider the experiences that might appeal to your loved ones instead:<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n

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