Have Yourself a Merry Green Christmas

Christmas is a season of joy, giving, and celebration, but it can also create a lot of waste. By making a few simple changes, we can celebrate sustainably and protect Fingal’s environment. From eco-friendly decorations to smart recycling, here are practical ways to have a greener Christmas this year without losing any of the festive magic.

1. Eco-Friendly Decorations

• Switch to LED lights: LEDs use up to 80-90% less energy, reducing electricity costs and carbon emissions.
• Natural decorations: Avoid plastic decorations, which can take hundreds of years to decompose and use natural items such as fallen pinecones or create a dried orange garland.
• DIY ornaments: Make DIY ornaments from recycled materials such as old fabric, cardboard, or glass jars. Please see how to make a scrap ribbon tree decoration in the worksheet attached.

2. Sustainable Gift Ideas

• Gift experiences: Gifting vouchers for experiences, local activities, classes or restaurants reduces material consumption and packaging waste.
• Support local artisans: Buy from your local Christmas markets or eco-friendly businesses to support Fingal’s economy.
• Upcycled gifts: Choose upcycled or handmade gifts for a personal and sustainable touch.

Christmas - Events Fingal

In It Together for Christmas | Fingal County Council

3. Wrapping Without Waste

• Reusable wrapping: Use reusable wrapping like fabric wraps, scarves, or gift bags.
• Recycled paper: Wrapping paper waste spikes during Christmas. Why not wrap gifts in recycled paper like newspapers and magazines.
• Avoid glitter and plastic ribbons: These are non-recyclable and contribute to microplastic pollution, which affects Irish coastal waters.

4. Food Choices

• Buy local and seasonal: Reduces food miles and emissions.
• Reduce food waste: Ireland wastes over 835,000 tonnes of food annually, much of it during the Christmas period. Plan meals carefully to reduce food waste and freeze leftovers. Click here for Stop Food Waste Christmas recipe book.
• Compost scraps: Turn peelings and trimmings into compost for your garden, or make sure to pop into your brown bin to divert organic waste from landfill, cutting methane emissions.

Stop Food Waste - Reduce your food waste and save yourself money!

5. Travel & Energy

• Carpool, cycle or walk for local visits to reduce emissions.
• Lower heating slightly and wear cozy layers: Reducing your thermostat by 1°C can cut heating bills by 10%.
• Unplug decorations: Phantom energy use from plugged-in devices can add to household electricity bills.

Live Departures | Transport for Ireland

Energy Saving Tips | Home Energy | SEAI

6. Recycling & Disposal

• Follow recycling guidelines: Proper sorting ensures materials are reused and recycled. Make sure items are clean, loose, and dry before popping into the recycling bin as contamination reduces efficiency.
• Christmas tree options: Choose a potted Christmas tree you can replant or recycle real trees through Fingal’s collection service. A real tree can be recycled into mulch, while artificial trees need 20+ years of use to offset their carbon footprint.
• Battery Recycling: Batteries contain hazardous materials like lead and mercury. Improper disposal can contaminate soil and water. Look out for ERP (European Recycling Platform) collection boxes in supermarkets, schools, and recycling centres across Fingal.

Civic Amenity Sites Provision (Recycling Centres) | Fingal County Council

What to do with different types of waste - My Waste

Home • About European Recycling Platform • ERP Global

7. Bring Banks – Use Responsibly

• Plan ahead: Christmas is a busy time for bottles and textiles. If the bring bank you visit is full, please take your items home and return another day.
• Avoid illegal dumping: Leaving items outside bring banks is considered dumping and can result in a fine of €150 in Fingal.
• Why it matters: Ireland recycles 84% of glass, but contamination from dumped items can reduce recycling efficiency and increase cleanup costs.