The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Plastic-free Christmas
Hoping to cut down on your plastic waste this Christmas? Below is some great advice from the festive experts at the Country Living Christmas Fair to help you on your way. The fair is a must for many in the run-up to Christmas and is the perfect one-stop shop for getting Christmas sorted in one, fun-filled day out.
The event, which takes place at the SEC in Glasgow from November 15 to 18, will feature more than 300 of the UK’s finest designers, makers and boutique businesses. There will be all sorts of foodie inspiration, including cookery demos.
The Christmas experts from Country Living magazine share these simple tips, which will help cut down on plastic waste and make this festive season more environmentally friendly.
Get cooking!
Christmas can involve a lot of entertaining but all those ready-made nibbles come in particularly large amounts of plastic packaging. There’s no need to spend the festive period slaving over the stove, though. There are lots of quick and easy recipes you can rustle up. Check out the Country Living Kitchen for lots of tips from top chefs and cooking professionals.
Give plastic-free toys
It seems many young children’s toys come in the form of large pieces of plastic with flashing lights – and no sooner are they opened than children get bored of them.
Instead, opt for wooden toys – especially ones that offer more openended play where children can think up lots of games to play with them, rather than being restricted to just one.
Use natural decorations
Forget tinsel and decorate the house with pine cones, sprigs of holly and mistletoe, and branches of fir and pine collected from the garden or hedgerow (with landowner’s permission, of course). On the tree, use baubles and decorations made with natural materials.
Rethink your wrapping
You might not realise it but lots of Christmas wrapping paper has a laminated plastic coating and is unable to be recycled – and then there’s the miles of sticky tape, too. Reduce plastic and save money by using plain brown parcel paper tied with cotton ribbon or string.
Ditch the disposables
It’s easy to reach for the plastic cups and plates when you’re having a party but it will most likely end up in landfill.
If you don’t have enough cutlery and crockery for large gatherings, then check out local charity shops for knives, forks and mismatched china.
If you haven’t the space to store them, you can wash and re-donate afterwards. Glasses can be hired free of charge from many local stores.
Choose your smellies wisely
Delicious-smelling soaps and bath oils are always a winner for presents, so look for ones that come in plastic-free packaging. l For further information or to book tickets for the Country Living Christmas Fair call 0844 581 1385 or visit www.countrylivingfair.com
Courier readers can quote the special code FESTIVES18 to avail themselves of a 40% ticket discount.