Have a sustainable Christmas
Instead of gold, myrrh and frankincense, modern shoppers are likely to splurge on the latest gadgets or novelty items to wrap up beneath the Christmas tree.
And this commercialisation of the holiday has led to a rise in ‘‘Christmas poverty’’ where families fall behind on necessities, like rent or power so they can pay for presents, a Christchurch academic says.
‘‘Christmas is a beautiful, amazing thing, [but] the bastardisation and commercialisation associated with Christmas is a horrible thing,’’ said University of Canterbury makerting associate professor Ekant Veer.
‘‘It is the absolute worst part of Christmas where people feel obligated or pressured into providing something they can’t afford or they don’t believe in just to be seen to be doing the right thing.’’
Gift giving could be done in a sustainable way if people shopped within their means or considered alternatives like making gifts, donating on behalf of a loved one, or simply offering to do the cooking or cleaning.
Veer said he had recently put a ‘‘No circulars’’ sign on his letterbox due to the influx of fliers and brochures advertising Christmas specials, noting the environmental impact of the practice.
He was similarly critical of the use of non-recyclabe wrapping paper – anything with a shiny interior or with foil or metallic pieces in it that was not recyclable, according to WasteNet.
‘‘It’s a great example of a singleuse, throwaway item and the only real purpose is to hide the gift for a few days. It’s the most bulls … reason to purchase something I can think of,’’ Ekant said.
Christchurch woman Anthea Madill, the zero-waste blogger behind the Eco Oikos website, has forgone wrapping paper in favour of reusable shopping bags, scarves, brown paper and fabric.
Instead of buying gifts from a mall, most of hers have been sourced from secondhand stores around the city – something she said retained the thrill of shopping, while also saving items from going to landfill.
‘‘It’s so much more satisfying going hunting for somebody, because you find stuff you would never think to buy otherwise,’’ she said.
‘‘I always find that buying secondhand you get more for your money. If you’re savvy about it you can get good quality stuff for the same price that you would spend in the mall on something that would break in a year.’’
Madill, who has a background in marine biology and a love of the ocean, said the birth of her daughter Vashti had led her to reflect on her use of plastics and consolidated her desire to phase them out of her life.
Wasteful purchases of goods that would break or be thrown away within a short space of time annoyed her. Large quantities would end up going to landfill, where it would ‘‘sit there forever’’.
Christchurch City Council solid waste manager Ross Trotter encouraged people to take any unwanted gifts to a charity shop or one of the EcoDrop recycling centres rather than throwing them in a wheelie bin.
While there was a noticeable spike in rubbish disposal around Christmas some years, in both the kerbside collection and at transfer stations, it was not always consistent, he said.
The amount of glass in the kerbside recycling collection peaked in January, indicating an increased consumption of beverages. December and January also saw an increase in paper and soft plastic drink bottles.
‘‘This annual peak would indicate a peak in wrapping paper recycling and fizzy drink consumption over this time,’’ Trotter said.
For the weeks starting December 25 and January 1, wheelie bins would be collected a day after their usual collection day.