A Waste-Free Holiday

The holidays are upon us. It is a wonderful - but also an extremely wasteful - time of year. Canadians produce up to 25% more waste over the holidays. Most of what we buy to celebrate the holidays is not recyclable. Wrapping paper, packaging, discarded decorations and even tape used for wrapping all end up in landfills. And buying online – which is likely to increase due to COVID – has a lot of excessive by-products.

The good news: being more thoughtful and intentional with your gift giving not only shows your love and appreciation for your friends and family, but also helps with the massive amount of waste produced. Here are a few tips:

• Give an experience: Give your loved ones an experience they’ll never forget, rather than a thing they’ll forget they have.
• Give a gift to pay it forward: Make a donation on their behalf to charity that means a lot to them. Is there an initiative they really believe in? Helping others is a great way to feel the holiday spirit.
• Make a gift: A homemade gift like a hand-knitted scarf, a photo album or a piece of art make for an unforgettable present. Even a tray of home baked cookies will leave a smile on everyone’s face.
• Invest in their future: Helping loved ones with future investments is a thoughtful approach to gifts that shows you care. Open a savings account, make an investment or buy some bonds and they can watch their gifts grow.
• Buy a pre-loved gift: Maybe your loved one’s vintage style just screams for a thrifted jacket you saw. Or their love of retro sci-fi books calls for a pulp classic printed years before they were born. Sometimes, secondhand gifts can be the best gifts.
• Buy local: If you decide to purchase a new item, consider buying local. It helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping and locally produced items typically have less packaging.

Check out more tips in Waste Free Edmonton's Holiday Campaign booklet.

This post was submitted by Waste Free Edmonton, an Edmonton community group. If you live in Edmonton and have a climate change story to tell, let us know! Your story could be shared here too.