Christmas is one of the most wonderful but also most wasteful times of year; but it doesn't have to be that way, many are looking at ways that they can have a more eco-friendly end of year celebration and being mindful towards food waste, sustainable decorations and other waste facts will give you all you need to have a festive time without having a big impact on the planet. 

Here we have curated a resource guide showing how you can maximise sustainability this Christmas, with a look at how to reduce food waste, opt for sustainable decorations, and some cautionary facts to be mindful of when you are having your festive fun. 

Contents

1. How to reduce food waste at Christmas 
2. How to select sustainable decorations 
3. Not-so-festive Christmas waste facts 
   

Ways to reduce food waste at Christmas 

Reduction in food waste does not have to mean a reduction in festive cheer, and if you take into account the below tips, you can minimise the amount of your left over christmas dinner that ends up in landfill. 

• Plan your Christmas food in advance to reduce waste and save money. Festive displays can tempt you to overbuy items like pigs in blankets, Christmas cakes, and mince pies. Research from Which? shows that 45 percent of Brits overbuy Christmas food and end up with leftovers, while only 14 percent run out.
  
• Write a list of all meals, snacks, and baking you intend to make, along with the ingredients and quantities needed, then stick to the list when shopping.
  
• Check your cupboards before buying anything and cross off items you already have to avoid duplicates.
  
• Make sure you have enough storage space. Clear room in the fridge for fresh food and in the freezer for leftovers. Some vegetables and drinks can be stored in cool, dark spaces.
  
• Shop loose where possible as local greengrocers, butchers, and bakers usually use less packaging than supermarkets.
  
• Be careful with discounts and multi-buy offers. Only choose deals you can store and use in time to avoid excess leftovers.
  
• Use sensible portion sizes. Serve average portions or let guests help themselves so any remaining food stays suitable for reuse rather than becoming plate scraps.

What to do with Christmas leftovers and spare food 

Even with careful planning, you may still end up with leftovers at Christmas. Avoid putting any edible food in your general waste and choose a more eco-friendly option from the ideas listed below:

• Donate festive food. Tinned or packaged Christmas items such as biscuits, cakes, and mince pies can go to a local foodbank. Some cooked leftovers such as turkey, potatoes and vegetables may be suitable for donation to animal shelters.
  
• Freeze leftovers. Most cooked Christmas foods, including turkey and vegetables, freeze well. Cool everything fully and store in separate airtight containers before freezing.
  
• Use Christmas food waste recipes. Turn leftovers into turkey sandwiches, curries, bubble and squeak, risotto, vegetable soup or other creative dishes.
  
• Compost food scraps. Add fruit, vegetables, peelings, and even a cut-up turkey carcass to your compost pile to help them break down faster.
  
• Use a food waste bin. Small scraps can go into general waste, but larger quantities should be placed in a dedicated food waste bin so they can be collected for anaerobic digestion and turned into renewable energy.

2. How to select sustainable decorations

The most sustainable Christmas decoration is one you already own and use year in year out, but when you do need something new, focus on decorations made from natural, recyclable, or recycled materials rather than plastic. 

Items such as wooden ornaments, recycled glass baubles, paper garlands, and fabric decorations all have a lower environmental impact. Opting for LED lights also helps reduce energy use, and they can be recycled through WEEE collection when they eventually stop working.

It is also worth choosing decorations that are designed to last rather than single-use items that will end up in the bin. Avoid traditional tinsel and cheap plastic ornaments, as these cannot be recycled and often break after one Christmas. 

Look for locally made or handmade decorations that support small businesses and reduce reliance on mass-produced plastic. Natural options such as foliage, pinecones, dried fruit garlands, and wreaths can be composted afterwards. By prioritising durability, natural materials and reuse, you can create a festive atmosphere that is kinder to the planet.

3. Not-so-festive Christmas waste facts

Christmas is a time of celebration, but it is also one of the most wasteful moments of the year. Across the UK, households and businesses generate millions of tonnes of additional waste throughout December. From leftover food and plastic packaging to unwanted gifts and discarded trees, festive habits have a significant environmental impact. Understanding the scale of this waste is the first step toward reducing it.

General Christmas waste facts

Any month of such a high increase in consumption will lead to an increase in waste, the below are worth being mindful of as we get closer to the big day. 

• Waste levels increase by around 30 percent during the Christmas period.
• UK households produce more than 3 million tonnes of extra festive waste.
• Around 39 million Christmas crackers are thrown away.
• Seventy five percent of Christmas cards end up in general waste instead of being recycled.
• By spring, 41 percent of gifted toys are broken and sent to landfill.
• The UK discards 9,500 tonnes of glass beer and wine bottles over Christmas.
• Thirty-four million champagne and prosecco bottles are thrown away.
• If all discarded fairy lights were laid out, they would stretch around 70,000 miles.
  
  

Christmas packaging and wrapping waste facts

Wrapping paper is a source of constant debate when it comes to Christmas waste but the environmental impact does not end with gift wrapping as these facts show. 

• One hundred fourteen thousand tonnes of plastic packaging are placed in general waste instead of recycling.
• Three thousand tonnes of turkey packaging are discarded.
• Four thousand five hundred tonnes of tin foil are used during food preparation.
• Three hundred million plastic cups and straws are used.
• One hundred twenty five thousand tonnes of food wrapping plastic are thrown away.
• The plastic waste generated at Christmas is equivalent to the weight of 76,000 giraffes.
• One hundred million black bags of packaging waste are filled every Christmas.
• Wrapping paper waste would stretch 238,855 miles if laid out flat.
• Forty million rolls of sticky tape are used.
• Five million tonnes of wrapping paper go to landfill each year with most of it discarded at Christmas.
• Around 50,000 trees are cut down to make Christmas wrapping paper.
• The UK uses around 300,000 tonnes of card packaging during the festive season.
• The average household throws away three and a half bags of festive packaging.
  
  

Christmas tree waste facts

• More than 160,000 tonnes of Christmas trees are discarded each January.
• Fourteen percent of people throw away artificial trees instead of reusing them.
• Rotting Christmas trees produce around 100,000 tonnes of methane.
• Around 8 million trees are cut down in the UK each year for Christmas.
  
  

The carbon footprint of Christmas

• Cooking Christmas turkeys generates around 14,056 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
• The energy used to cook sprouts could power a home for several years.
• UK motorists collectively travel one billion miles visiting family and friends during Christmas.
• Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day account for nearly 6 percent of annual UK carbon emissions.
• The carbon footprint of Christmas feasting is equivalent to a car travelling around the world 6,000 times.
  
  

The financial cost of festive waste

• Brits spend £700 million on unwanted gifts.
• Only 1 percent of Christmas gifts are still in use six months later.
  The average household spends £185 on decorations and £400 on food, drink and decorations combined.
• One hundred fifty million Christmas cards are sent and most are thrown away.
• It costs £26 million to dispose of Christmas waste.
• Twelve thousand five hundred tonnes of decorations worth £1.2 million end up in landfill.
• One hundred forty one thousand five hundred twenty-five tonnes of food packaging are sent to landfill at a cost of £13.3 million.
• Christmas food waste alone is valued at around £444 million.

Be mindful of your waste this Christmas 

Hopefully, the above information has given you some ideas on how to increase the sustainability of your Christmas, so that you do not contribute too heavily to the facts and statistics outlined above.

References

1. GWP Group. Christmas packaging and food consumption statistics.
   https://www.gwp.co.uk/guides/christmas-packaging-facts
2. YouGov. The YouGov Big Survey on Christmas.
   https://yougov.co.uk/society/articles/53593-the-yougov-big-survey-on-christmas-christmas-dinner
3. Office for National Statistics. The Twelve Stats of Christmas.
   https://blog.ons.gov.uk/2018/12/07/the-twelve-stats-of-christmas
4. The Guardian. UK festive food and shopping trends 2025.
   https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/dec/09/british-shoppers-chocolate-prices-cost-christmas-dinner-worldpanel
5. Larder Magazine. Christmas food waste in the https://lardermag.co.uk/dont-let-christmas-go-to-waste 
6. WRAP. UK food and packaging waste insights.
   https://wrap.org.uk
7. GWP Group. Christmas waste and packaging statistics.
   https://www.gwp.co.uk/guides/christmas-packaging-facts
8. Which. Christmas food purchasing and waste behaviours.
   https://www.which.co.uk
9. Office for National Statistics. Christmas statistics and seasonal data.
   https://www.ons.gov.uk
10. BBC News. Climate, sustainability and Christmas waste reporting.
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news
11. The Guardian. UK festive consumption and environmental impact features.
    https://www.theguardian.com
12. Zero Waste Scotland. Seasonal waste reduction resources.
    https://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk

Local authority recycling services directory.
https://www.gov.uk/recycling-collections