Veolia Nottinghamshire

Counting down to Christmas? So are we!

Our advent calendar has 24 daily tips for you to celebrate the festive season in sustainable style.

At Christmas, we produce 30% more waste than at any other time of the year. Let’s make this yuletide more environmentally-friendly than ever before. Give a Christmas gift to the planet by reducing, reusing and recycling and let the month of merriness begin!

Homemade calendar

Consider a reusable wooden advent calendar or make your own so you can use it every year. Simply change up the daily treats.

Treecycle

Choose a sustainably-sourced certified real tree and recycle it or invest in a quality reusable one to use time and time again.

Christmas crafts

Get the kids involved by making your own tree decorations from recyclables like twigs, paper or even salt dough. 

Sustainable sparkle

Putting up Christmas lights? Use energy-efficient LEDs and keep them on timers to save resources.

Recyclable wreaths

Adorn your door with a natural circle of holly and pine cones for a cost-free and environmentally-friendly decoration.

Creative cards

Save on paper and send your Christmas cards online. Get creative with the design so your e-cards stand out!

Elf on the shelf

The best pranks don’t poke fun at the environment. Search sustainable prank ideas to ensure this little trickster doesn’t waste anything.

Stunning stockings

Start a family tradition with personalised, reusable stockings. It totally adds to the festive charm and prevents any waste.

Sweet stocking-fillers

Don’t fill stockings with throw-away plastic; find second hand books, sweets and material presents that last.

Everything’s going virtual

E-vouchers or charitable donations make for fantastic presents and don’t create any waste.

Stitch your own Santa

Make your own Christmas jumper, upcycle an old pullover or buy a second hand sweatshirt.

Second-hand treasure

Find perfect sustainable gifts in charity shops to give new life to clothes, books, trinkets and all sorts. 

Organised orders

If you’re ordering online, try making sure you do one delivery per shop and cut down on packaging and vehicles on the road.

Secret Santa savings

Start a Secret Santa draw so you only have to buy one, perfect present with meaning and cut down on unwanted gifts.

Scrap the wrap

Lots of wrapping papers are not recyclable due to the glitter used to make them. Instead, use brown paper or newspaper to wrap your gifts. 

Cracking crackers

It’s easy to make your own crackers; grab an empty toilet roll, write your own jokes and wrap in newspaper to make a show-stopping  table decoration.

Plan ahead

Christmas gatherings may be a bit smaller this year, plan and cook for only those who will be with you so no food goes in the bin! 

Have a seasonal meal

Choose vegetables that are in season and try to buy loose to cut down on packaging. Christmas favourites parsnips, cabbage and the dreaded sprouts are good choices.

Classy cutlery

Mountains of washing up on Christmas Day can be daunting, but mountains of waste? That’s much worse. Don’t use single-use cutlery and napkins; use the posh proper stuff!

Save Santa’s sweets

Whether you leave out milk and cookies or mince pies and sherry for Santa, make sure he eats all of it so none is wasted! 

Cheers to that

There’s lots to toast to in the festive period, so toast the planet by putting any glass bottles or aluminium cans in the recycling bin.

Build-up of batteries

Don’t put batteries in your household bins. Check your council website to find out where they can be recycled safely.

Christmas outfit

If granny knits you a new jumper, make sure you recycle or donate your old one.

Leftovers to the rescue

Don't let your Christmas dinner leftovers go to waste, search for recipe ideas online - did someone say mince pie ice cream?