Tips for a sustainable festive season

Lots of us will be making plans to enjoy the Christmas break with friends and family this year, enjoying food and drink together and sharing presents. Many of us try to be sustainable throughout the year but the festive season can be more challenging.


We’ve put together some tips to help you have a more sustainable Christmas.

Reduce Food Waste

• Plan your meals: Make a list of what you need and stick to it. Avoid impulse buys at the supermarket.
  
  
• Use leftovers: Get creative with your leftovers. Turn leftover turkey into sandwiches or pies and use leftover vegetables in soups or stews. Visit http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com for inspiration.
  
  
• Compost food waste: Remember to recycle all your Christmas food waste, including turkey carcasses in your brown bin.

Recycle responsibly

• Get recycling: You can recycle lots of different items in your recycling bins at home or take excess waste along to one of the borough’s Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs). Details about schedule changes to our bin collection service over Christmas and the New Year period, along with HWRC opening times, can be found on our website. If you live outside of the area visit your local Council’s website for details.
  
  
• Bins too full? Excess recycling that doesn’t fit in your bin can be put securely next to your bin/box to be collected on the same day as your bin collection.
  
  
• Christmas trees: Real Christmas trees can be taken to a number of sites across the borough to be recycled or to any Household Waste Recycling Centre. Further details about all these locations can be found on our website. There are also a number of charity collections in the area.

Consider your travel options

• Park & Ride: If you’re heading to Chester this season, consider taking the Park & Ride. Up to five people traveling together can get a ticket for just £5 and there are late night services up to Christmas. In January you can travel for free on the service. Find out more on our website.
  
  
• Jingle into January on the Park & Ride: The Council is offering free travel on the city’s Park & Ride service throughout January 2025, thanks to funding from the Department of Transport under its Bus Service Improvement Plan grant. The offer applies to single day tickets purchased on bus from any one of the operational sites at Boughton Heath, Upton or Wrexham Road.
  
  
• Get around for £2: Bus services in the borough have the £2 fare cap running until the 31 December 2024. From the 1 January 2025 there will be a new £3 fare cap introduced, in many cases the fares are less than £3 but the fare cap prevents you paying more than £3 for a single journey on buses in the borough. Read more about the fare cap on the Government’s website. For public transport options in the borough visit our website.
  
  
• Walk, wheel or cycle: If possible, consider walking, wheeling or cycling if you are making short trips this Christmas.
  
  
• Consider car sharing: If you do need to drive, consider car sharing with friends or family.
  
  

Switch your gift giving

• Make your gifts meaningful: Ask recipients what they’d really value, or consider purchasing experiences instead.
  
  
• Support local independent businesses: Shopping at local businesses helps to reduce your carbon footprint and supports your community.
  
  
• Buy handmade or second-hand gifts: Consider giving handmade or second-hand gifts this Christmas. This is a great way to reduce waste and support local artisans. Sites such as Olio or Vinted are great places to check for second hand or home made goods.

Be energy efficient

• Keep pan lids on: When cooking, keep pan lids on to reduce cooking time and save energy.
  
  
• Turn off lights and electronics: Turn off lights and electronics when you're not using them, including Christmas lights.
  
  
• Adjust the temperature: If you are able to, and don’t have a health condition, try lowering the thermostat a few degrees to help save energy and lower your bills. You could also reduce the temperature of those rooms you aren’t using even more. Read are article on the Energy for Everyone site for more energy saving tips for the home

Choose eco-friendly decorations and wrapping

• Re-use or repurpose decorations: Decorations can last for years or if you’re after something new for your home take a look at local Facebook groups or sites such as Olio to see if anyone is giving something away.
  
  
• Take inspiration from nature: Consider using pine cones or cuttings of evergreen plants and trees to decorate your home.
• Wrap gifts sustainably: Use reusable wrapping paper or brown paper and decorate with natural materials like pine cones and berries.

If you have any tips of your own about having a more sustainable Christmas you can add them to the ‘your story’ section of the Climate Emergency Inspire hub.

The Council is currently developing a new Climate Emergency Response Plan for the borough for 2025 – 2030. You can review the actions we’ve proposed to help us become a carbon neutral borough by 2045 and have your say by completing our consultation before 12 February 2025. Visit the consultation webpage for more information.