Plastic-free parties: holiday season swaps

ARTICLE

09 November 2023

3 min read

The festive season is traditionally a time of excess, but one thing we can cut down on is our plastic waste, which has an impact on the planet and our health. Here are 5 simple swaps to reduce your reliance on plastic and make your Christmas more sustainable (and affordable) this year.

The Christmas break is often a time of overindulgence. Too many prawns, and extra servings of pavlova.

While it’s normal to go a little overboard on the Christmas feast (it’s one day of the year, after all), we should be mindful of another source of festive season excess: the amount of plastic waste our celebrations bring into the world. Australia recycles just 13% of its plastic packaging¹, with the rest finding its way into landfill or waterways, eventually breaking down into tiny particles (microplastics) that contaminate the environment.

Our consumption habits around Christmas lead to a huge increase in waste², but we can all do our part to cut down on our unnecessary plastic usage and help protect the natural world.

Use reusable or compostable plates

When the plastic plate you’ve used for a few minutes at your Christmas party goes into the bin, it might not break down in the environment for hundreds of years³. Of course, we all want convenience, but not at the cost of the Earth.

Swap out your disposable plastic plates and utensils for options you can wash and continue using in the future. Investing in some reusable, party-ready dinnerware is also likely to be more economical in the long run, as it removes the need to buy new products each time you host an event. If you need to choose single-use products for any reason, aim for biodegradable options – like paper, bamboo and easy-to-recycle material – instead of plastic.

Use fabric instead of paper and tape

We all love the mystery of unwrapping presents to see what’s inside. Thankfully, we can hold onto this ritual while minimising our impact on the environment by avoiding single-use wrapping paper (plus all the sticky tape, ribbons and bin-filling waste that comes with it).

Look into furoshiki, a traditional Japanese method of wrapping gifts and goods in cloth. You can use any bandannas or scarves you have at home or visit a second-hand shop to find some fabric to use and reuse for the years to come.

Swap plastic toys for experiences

We’ve all seen it happen. You buy a child the ‘best’ new plastic toy – the one from all the ads – and they spend the next few hours playing with the carboard box it came in. Instead, gift the young people in your life experiences you can enjoy together to make life-long memories, like vouchers to the movies, trampolining centres, escape rooms or bowling alleys. AIA Vitality members can get up to 50% off HOYTS movie vouchers, which make the perfect Christmas gift.

If you do decide to gift toys, it’s worth looking at op shops or online second-hand marketplaces for lightly used items that don’t create demand for new products. They’re often cheaper, and just as good as new.

Ditch plastic decorations for natural options

Plastic Christmas decorations are often adorned with glitter, which can’t be recycled in any amount. Instead of buying new plastic ornaments, try crafting your own from natural materials. They don’t only look great, but they’re also kinder to your wallet.

Look outside for things like pinecones, branches, fallen leaves or other visually interesting items and consider how these can be repurposed into natural festive decorations. Rosemary offcuts make a dining set up look and smell incredible, while you can use foraged tree materials to craft a rustic natural wreath or table centrepiece. You can also upcycle jars, bottles, or other items around the house into decorations.

Ditch cling wrap for reusable food storage

Eating well is a key part of the festive season, but this abundance of food can also lead to an abundance of leftovers. Your food storage options – both before and after Christmas day – can include plenty of plastic waste by default, like plastic produce bags, disposable food containers and single-use cling wrap.

To cut down on this, invest in some reusable produce bags for your grocery shopping, and avoid cling wrap for your food prep and leftovers. Instead, opt for Tupperware, foil or wax cloth to keep your food fresh.

Footnotes

^{1 https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/protection/waste/publications/national-plastics-plan-summary

2 https://australiainstitute.org.au/post/its-the-thought-that-counts-980m-of-christmas-gifts-will-go-to-waste-the-australia-institute/}

^{3 https://wwf.org.au/blogs/the-lifecycle-of-plastics/}

Staff Writer

Staff writers come from a range of backgrounds including health, wellbeing, music, tech, culture and the arts. They spend their time researching the latest data and trends in the health market to deliver up-to-date information, helping everyday Australians live healthier lives. This is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances. The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances.

Disclaimer:
This is general information only and is not intended as financial, medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a financial adviser, or medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances.

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