The holiday season is upon us!
It’s the season to celebrate, reflect, and spend time with loved ones. However, all these festivities can also lead to unnecessary single-use plastic and waste. Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year holiday period than at any other time of year!
When you think about holiday traditions, do you buy new plastic ornaments or deck your tree in tinsel? Many of our favorite holiday items contain plastic, including wrapping paper, bows, and synthetic fabrics, such as stockings.
Here are a few tips to make this holiday season plastic-free and even more merry!
🎄Decor
Get your home looking extra festive this year while using as little plastic as possible:
- Decorate your tree with homemade garlands made from dried fruits, popcorn, and wooden or paper balls.
- Dig into your scrap paper pile and create a snowy wonderland with paper snowflakes.
- One light goes out - they all go out! But don’t throw out those string lights that don’t work. Spend a little time to replace any dead bulbs to revive lights and avoid buying new ones.
- Make your own ornaments out of salt dough and ribbon. You can use cookie cutter molds or freehand them to create one-of-a-kind decorations.
- Host a virtual holiday exchange with friends and family and find out who might have extra decor that they simply don’t use anymore.
- Check out thrift stores, in-person or online, to score secondhand items that you can either use immediately or repurpose into holiday decor.
🎁 Gifts
Make your gift even more meaningful by skipping the single-use plastic packaging:
- Look at alternative types of gift wrapping: newspaper, old paper bags, and rolls of craft paper are all great options.
- Spruce up your homemade gift wrap by decorating it with drawings, fresh sprigs of herbs, Christmas tree clippings, or dried fruit.
- Use natural twine to tie up packages, make bows out of old fabric scraps, or try ideas on how to wrap gifts without needing tape or ribbon.
- Check out the Surfrider Shop to give the gift of clean water, healthy beaches, and sustainable items.
- Support your loved ones to go plastic-free! It’s better for our health too. Reusable metal, glass, or ceramic water bottles, travel mugs, utensils, and straws are plastic-free gifts that keep giving back!
- Shop local or at zero-waste sites that are dedicated to shipping with minimal packaging.
- Get creative with your gifts this year! Gifting a community-supported agriculture (CSA) box, a subscription to a streaming service, a DIY gift, or a donation made in someone's name are all meaningful gifts that are thoughtful and plastic-free.
- Skip the traditional gifts altogether and focus on what really matters. Give the gift of time and attention, and create lasting memories with those you love - like hosting a virtual game or movie night or taking them to your favorite places.
- A gift certificate from an Ocean Friendly Restaurant makes a wonderful and delicious gift!
- If you already have plastic holiday decor or gift wrap, don’t throw them out. Continue to reuse items you already have until you no longer can and try to dispose of them properly. If you no longer want them, try to donate them to charities or re-gift them to friends and family.
🥂 Gatherings
- Try to host a zero-waste event! As much as possible, serve food and snacks on reusable dishware.
- Try to make your holiday meals from scratch and avoid convenience foods packaged in plastic. Nothing beats a big batch of homemade mashed potatoes!
- Borrow dish sets and glassware from friends or go thrift store shopping for a special holiday set!
- Decorate the table with foraged greenery, gourds and squash, bowls full of apples, or other seasonal fruits and veggies.
This season is all about gathering, spreading joy, and sharing our love - not only with each other but for our coasts and ocean too! Happy holiday season!
We're grateful to our Better Beach Alliance Partners, REEF, and Costa for their continued support.