Unwrap Your Christmas
Did you know that each Christmas the UK discards enough wrapping paper to reach the moon and back? It’s just one of the many Christmas traditions that creates a negative cumulative impact each year on our already fragile environment. For example, the majority of Christmas trees purchased in 2022 were made from plastic, with only 15% of Britons estimated to have bought a real tree in 2022 and more than half of us believing that an artificial tree is the greener option. In reality, your typical artificial tree has a carbon footprint twice the size of a real tree after it has been sent to landfill.
Listen to Jade Jackson talking on Radio Cornwall about the campaign.
Even if you manage to reuse your artificial tree for seven years in a row (this is the time it would take to equal the carbon footprint of a real tree that was sent to landfill after Christmas) it is still the less sustainable option, as the planting of Christmas trees helps to create habitats for wildlife whilst offsetting carbon emissions - as millions of unsold Christmas trees won’t be be harvested each year. You can even go the extra mile by purchasing a living Christmas tree that can be replanted for the following year, reducing your waste even further.
As you may have predicted, the problem doesn’t end with trees. Us Brits produce an eye-watering 688,000 tonnes of Christmas waste each year. This waste comes in many forms including plastic packaging, cardboard, tape, Christmas cards, wrapping paper and even £42 million worth of unwanted presents that will go directly to landfill.These shocking figures are generated year after year, but with collective efforts to reduce our waste we can make a positive difference in 2023.
This year, Clean Cornwall is presenting Brits with the truth about their Christmas consumption, and providing sustainable alternatives and choices to help keep the season festive whilst minimising your contributions to climate change and environmental destruction. The Unwrap Your Christmas campaign will be taking place across social media and Clean Cornwall’s website featuring facts, stats, tricks and tips on how to minimise your impact this Christmas. From learning how to replant a Christmas tree to making your own Christmas crackers, the best gift you can give this year is to protect our environment, so head over to the Clean Cornwall Instagram page to check out the campaign and learn more about how your Christmas traditions can keep the planet in mind.