If an abundance of holiday celebrations has you running to the store for last-minute items, you might find yourself making spontaneous purchases and even putting your eco-friendly ethics on hold.
When we are unable to plan ahead for zero-waste festivities, results can often mean a bigger footprint. Soon, you may find yourself accumulating plastic: shopping bags, to-go containers, water bottles, and gifts made primarily of plastic, not to mention, driving in circles to complete all your shopping in time.
Rather than suggesting we need to become a Grinch and hunker down until all the celebrating is over, we put together a list of plastic-free gifts for the loved ones on your list.
Top ten plastic-free gifts that also reduce plastic consumption:
• Portable water bottle or coffee thermos
• Bamboo or wooden cutlery set to carry in your bag at all times
• Stainless steel, glass or bamboo straw
• Glass or steel to-go containers for eating out
• Straw shopping basket or cloth shopping bag
• Natural-fibre clothing (avoid nylon, polyester and fleece)
• Beeswax-infused cloth for wrapping snacks
• Bamboo toothbrush or hairbrush
• Soap nuts, which are an alternative to laundry detergent
• Wooden toys or games are great for children and adults.
Whoever is on your shopping list, there is likely something on the list they would enjoy. You can rest easy with the knowledge that you not only avoided bringing more plastic into the world, but also encouraged someone in your life to lighten their plastic impact.
Before heading out the door, remember to grab a water bottle, some snacks to power up with and a shopping basket. We also encourage saying “no thanks” to any products or packaging labelled as compostable or biodegradable plastic; these are not the cure they may appear to be.
Let’s Talk Trash is Powell River Regional District’s waste-management education program.
