I find one of the times that really gets me thinking about my environmental impact is after Christmas. When everything has been unwrapped and unboxed, that’s when all I begin to see is wasted and unnecessary packaging. It makes me feel guilty and it’s one of the things that definitely has an impact on my choices throughout the year and over the Christmas period.
One thing in particular that I really struggle with is cellophane bags. I tend to do a bit of Christmas baking over the holiday period, and it’s something that I gift to a number of people- after all home made baked goods make a great minimalist gift!. Cellophane bags make my baking look so pretty. You can see what’s inside and and it really gives items a professional touch. However, those cellophane bags aren’t so great for the environment as they don’t biodegrade.
A couple of years ago I discovered a website called Buy Eco Green (note that I have no association with this company and am not paid to write this) which actually sell biodegradable cellophane bags that are produced using plant based cellulose. The particular ones I purchased are food grade and when I inquired with the company what biodegradable actually meant (eg: how long do they take to break down) I was advised approximately three to four months. Winning. I always find I’m cautious with the term ‘biodegradable’ as unless a timeline is stipulated- what does this actually mean? That could easily translate into breaking down 100 years down the track.
I’ve used these bags now for two years running and I’m extremely happy with the quality of the bags as well as the price. For memory I paid about $15AUD for about 100 bags which is great value- plus shipping of course. However at the time I also purchased some biodegradable cello tape to wrap gifts in as well- which also works great!
What do you do to reduce your environmental impact of the Christmas break? The time is now to start planning for next Christmas!!
This is Minimalism 
In recent times I have used old comic books which would have otherwise been destined for landfill.
I take the time to carefully stick the pages together and people seem to love it! As an added bonus you can read the comics 🙂
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Wow that’s actually a really good idea!! 😀
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I don’t bake much, but I do save metal Christmas tins that I get from other people, so if I did, I would use those to give cookies. This year for “wrapping” gifts I went to a thrift store to buy wicker baskets and old Christmas ornaments. I put the items on the basket and tied the ornament to the handle of the basket as a nice touch.
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Great ideas to get rid of ‘throwaway’ packaging items thanks!
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