The festive season is upon us: a time of joy, delicious food, and gifts. Unfortunately, this often also results in extra waste. With a few smart choices, you can fully enjoy the holidays – without unnecessary waste.
Give an experience
A gift doesn't always have to be tangible. Give an experience: a day out, a workshop, or a fun activity together. This creates beautiful memories without the need for extra items.
Make something yourself
Prefer something to unwrap? Create your own personalized gift. Think of something delicious, a creative project, or something handy for the home. Homemade gifts are unique, save money, and prevent packaging waste.
Swap or buy second-hand
Many homes still have good toys or beautiful items that are no longer used. Trade them with others or check out your local thrift store. You'll often find nearly new gifts at a low price – good for the environment and your wallet.
Packing up
Wrapping paper looks festive, but it also creates a lot of waste. So choose reusable or natural materials for wrapping gifts. Use a cloth, an old box, or scraps of fabric instead of disposable wrapping paper. Do you have any leftover wrapping paper? Save the prettiest pieces for next year, use them for craft projects, or create decorations. This gives the paper a second life and keeps the festive spirit alive.
Reuse packaging
After (online) purchases, there's often a lot of packaging left over. Don't just throw it away:
- Cardboard boxes: flatten and compress them so more will fit in the container.
- Bubble wrap or air cushions: reuse them or hand them in with the plastic, metal, and recycling bins.*
- Styrofoam: small pieces should be disposed of with residual waste, larger pieces should be taken to the recycling center with your environmental pass.
- Paper: Not all paper can be recycled. Do the tear test:
- Does it tear easily? Then you can put it in the recycling bin.
- If it doesn't tear or is very shiny (foil or plastic film), then it belongs in the residual waste.
Wrapping film also always belongs in the residual waste.
Feel free to reuse packaging materials, for example, to ship something or store fragile items. And if you're creative, you can make something new out of it – without glue or paint, so it can be recycled later.
Ask for less packaging
Ordering online? Choose stores that use less packaging or consolidate parcels. Pre-ordering and picking up in-store? Often, an extra shipping box isn't necessary. Picking up at a local point definitely reduces delivery miles and therefore CO₂ emissions.
Make a wishlist
Make a list with the children of what they really want. This prevents hasty purchases and allows for more targeted searches, meaning you'll spend less money.
Buy less, but more consciously
This year, choose quality over quantity. Get a few valuable, durable items that will last for years. This way, you'll reduce waste – even after the holidays. Together, we'll move through the seasons, step by step, toward a waste-free future.
https://www.waardlanden.nl/tips
*Do you live in a high-rise or low-rise building without a PMD container? Then please dispose of your PMD and residual waste together in a local residual waste container. This waste will be sorted later by machines.