My mum is very creative, and a lot of my Christmas memories are of things she’d made. The beauty of hand-made decorations is that everyone can get involved in making them, and so they create a family tradition. It’s something we try to carry on, with often differing levels of success!

Christmas is one day of the year when we go overboard and buy presents galore, overeat, and revel in the twinkling lights. This year will be very different for many of us as the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite. The environmental crisis that’s dominated our headlines in recent years continues as we all feel the impact of freak weather conditions. The efforts we’ve put in place are starting to make a difference, but there’s still so much more we can do.

Eco-friendly Christmas decorations

Creating your own Christmas decorations, table dressings, and wrapping doesn’t have to be expensive. Or difficult. Reusing last year’s gift bags and boxes is a good place to start when it comes to wrapping or using pieces of Christmas fabric that can be reused year after year. Cut up old Christmas cards to make gift tags rather than buying new ones.

Creating paper decorations that can be recycled once they’re past their best is a fun way of using up odd bits of paper and is something the kids can get involved with too. As is using foliage that’s fallen off trees and bushes to create wonderful table centrepieces. A Christmas forage in the woods is a great outdoor activity the whole family can get involved.

Christmas crackers

Christmas crackers are a key part of most tables and first became a British tradition in the mid-1800s. They were developed by Tom Smith, the early ones were inspired by the French bonbon sweets with a riddle added in. Tom’s sons added a paper crown and modern crackers include a gift too which can cost anything from a few pence to over a thousand pounds.

Shop-bought crackers are one-minute wonders. Once they’re pulled, the joke read out, the hat either torn or put on, and the gift cast aside, they’re destined for the bin. Whilst some of the contents can be recycled, it’s estimated that over 40 million end up in the bin each year.

So, what’s the alternative?

Reusable fabric crackers are an eco-friendly, zero-waste alternative to the traditional Christmas cracker. They create beautiful table decorations and can be filled with environmentally friendly alternatives to the plastic gifts that the cheap shop-bought ones usually contain.

Eco-friendly Christmas crackers

You can make your own Christmas crackers using fabric, ribbon or string, toilet roll tubes and small gifts. You could cut up Christmas clothes that are too small for the kids as the fabric, or buy end-of-line pieces that would otherwise end up in a landfill.

Handmade crackers make a beautiful addition to your Christmas table that doesn’t cost the earth, either literally or figuratively in terms of money. One set of Christmas crackers will last a lifetime if they’re well looked after. They can become a family tradition that’s passed down through the family.

You can dress them up as much as you want using odd bits of ribbon or off-cuts of sparkly fabric. Or keep them plain and simple and tie them with string. You can get the kids to write the jokes and add a thoughtful little gift like a homemade sweet or a lottery ticket. The possibilities are endless.

They don’t leave any mess and can be used as many times as you want over the Christmas period. And then you just carefully pack them away with the rest of the decorations, to be used again next year.

Eco-friendly gift-wrapping

End-of-line fabric also makes a great alternative to wrapping presents with paper. A lot of wrapping paper contains glitter, which makes it difficult to recycle so fabric makes a brilliant alternative that can be used again and again. And it takes a few minutes to fold them up and put them away for next year.

Use anything from string to odd bits of ribbon to secure the gift, and add a sprinkle of foliage from your garden or picked up on a winter walk, to make each one unique.

If you’re a dab hand with the sewing machine, you could make fabric gift bags too.

We’ve been using fabric wrapping for years. I was worried that the kids wouldn’t like it, but it’s made no difference to the level of excitement on Christmas morning. And it cuts down SO much on the mess levels.

Head to the eco-friendly section for more simple changes you can make that have a big impact on the environment.

To be honest, other than a dolls pram, I don’t remember any of the presents I received (sorry mum!). But I remember the feelings, sounds and smells. And I also remember the mounds of wrapping paper that were left to be tidied away afterwards.

Reusable magic and sparkle

Now that I’m a parent, Christmas is a very different experience. I love being able to create magic and sparkle for my kids. But in a world that still wastes so much, I want to teach them that the sparkle doesn’t have to cost a lot. And can be things that are used time and time again.

My eldest daughter’s favourite present from last year is a pink planner I gave her. It was my planner which I’d bought a few years ago, but didn’t do what I needed it to so didn’t use it much. I took out all the used pages, and bought a few new ones – some with squares, some coloured paper – and gave it to her. She has spent hours writing in it. She uses the squared sheets to do some maths and has written some lovely little stories in it.

A lot of the gifts her younger sister received were the toys she’d grown out of. Our eldest daughter loves that Santa re-used things.

Reusing doesn’t have to be limited to passing on gifts that are no longer used. The Christmas stockings I loved seeing every year as a child, were made by my mum. They were made from a burgundy velvet material, with a white fluffy bit at the top. I knew it was getting close to Christmas when they appeared in the living room.

Reusable fabric wrapping and table accessories

Reusable stockings, advent calendars, wrapping, and table decorations not only help you create Christmas traditions that make the time of year special. But they help reduce the amount of waste that’s thrown out which pollutes our beautiful planet.

We haven’t used paper wrapping for a few years now. The first year we used fabric gift bags and wrapping sheets, I was worried the kids would be disappointed there wasn’t any paper to tear off. But they weren’t in the slightest bit bothered. They just wanted to see what was inside!

And the best bit for us as busy parents is it is so easy to clear away afterwards. No overflowing bin. Just a neat little pile of fabric wrapping sheets and bags, ready to be put away and be used next year.

Reduce waste

In the UK, we use 227,000 miles of wrapping each year which means most households use around four rolls of wrapping paper each. Of that, over 83km2 ends up in our bins. Paper is one of the main things that we can recycle. However, not all wrapping paper is recyclable. Therefore using reusable wrapping has a massive impact on the amount of waste dumped in landfill. For me, it’s a no-brainer. Reusable wrapping sheets and bags are better for the environment and are SO much easier to clear away. And whilst it may cost more initially, it’s so much cheaper in the long run, than buying rolls of wrapping paper every year.

You can get fabric gift bags from a range of places such as Etsy and Folksy, or if you’re confident with a sewing machine or needle and thread, make your own from end-of-line pieces of fabric, or Christmas designs.

Head to the eco-friendly changes section to read about small changes you can make that have a big impact on the environment.

Making small changes to our shopping habits can make a massive difference to the environment. We all know about reusable bags, but changing our household products to something that still gives us the cleaning power we want, but in an environmentally friendly way, felt like a tall order to me.

However, during the first lockdown, I really felt that we needed to change the way we bought things like washing-up liquid and multi-purpose cleaners. So, I spent some time looking online for sustainable alternatives to our usual supermarket products.

I wanted products made from natural ingredients with minimal plastic waste. But I was also looking for sustainable products that could be delivered to my door.

Whilst a lot of the products available in supermarkets are starting to be better for the environment, they’re still being sold in plastic bottles. I wanted something that was an alternative to that, and found some brilliant companies that are leaders in eco-friendly household products.

I was kindly gifted some of the products to test so I could share my experience of using them.

Bower Collective

The first company we switched to is Bower Collective. One of the Instagram accounts I follow had done a video about the products, which piqued my interest straight away. Firstly, the products were delivered and could be ordered on a subscription basis. That meant we could have products delivered regularly, without having to worry about going into a busy shop if we ran out.

Secondly, they come in plastic pouches, which you return to Bower for free once they’re empty. You can buy reusable bottles from them, or use ones you already have at home, and decant the products into those to use.

The natural cleaning products are made from locally sourced ingredients and produced in the UK. There’s a huge range of products to choose from, including multi-purpose cleaners, liquid hand soap and loo rolls. You can buy a starter pack if you’d like to try some of the products before you commit to buying with a subscription.

Purdy & Figg

Purdy & Figg use plant-derived ingredients and essential oils to change your outlook on cleaning. Let’s face it, for most of us, cleaning is a chore we put off for as long as possible, so anything that makes it a more enjoyable experience is a win as far as I’m concerned.

I love the fact that the company was created by two women in their garage because they wanted to change the way we think about cleaning, both in terms of the environment and ourselves.

From beautiful packaging to products that smell really nice and have great cleaning powers, they don’t fail to impress. The products are available through a subscription, where you can choose from either having the same scents all year round or trying new ones every three months.

Purdy & Figg’s counter clean replaces the need for different products for different surfaces, making it simple and easy to use on anything from wood to glass and stone. You simply pour the cleaning concentrate into your bottle for life, and top up with tap water, shake gently and use all over the house, giving you a brilliant clean and uplifting smell.

I love the smell the products give the whole house when I clean, which almost makes me want to clean more often!

Iron & Velvet

Iron & Velvet are pioneers in the world of sustainable cleaning and the fight against plastic pollution. Their cleaning products are made from natural ingredients, but the genius part is that the packaging is water-soluble.

You simply put a sachet of cleaning product into an existing bottle, fill it with warm water, shake and off you go. The fragrances are amazing and change depending on the season, and they work really well on dirt.

The starter kit gives you a range of products to try and you can then buy as a subscription so you get a regular delivery, or as and when you need them. If you buy five products, you get free delivery. And because of the brilliant packaging, they’re small enough to fit through your letterbox.

Smol

Washing and dishwasher tablets are traditionally packaged in a plastic container to keep them safe from children. The materials used often can’t be recycled, and so create a lot of plastic waste.

Smol has changed this. The packaging the tablets arrive in is made from cardboard produced from responsibly managed forests. They also print onto the packaging using vegetable-based inks. The laundry packaging has a child-lock mechanism, which means little fingers can’t get to them.

We’ve found the washing and dishwasher tablets to be effective against dirt, and the washing products have a lovely fragrance.

For me, the best thing about Smol is the fact that the packaging is cardboard and fits through your letterbox. This helps us reduce our plastic consumption, which in the long run will make a huge difference to the environment.

Eco-friendly household products that don’t cost the earth

So, I hope you’ve found this useful. We love these companies. They’re all British, which means their carbon footprint is smaller than global companies that produce their products abroad.

They’ve created eco-friendly product packaging, which either dissolves, can be reused, or recycled. I’m sure we’ve all got a vast supply of plastic containers we can use, so switching to refillable cleaning products feels like the best way to do our bit in the fight against climate change.

I hope next time you need to buy household cleaning products, you’ll think of using some of these companies. Their products may not be as cheap as some you can buy from supermarkets, but they don’t cost the earth.

Head to the homepage to read the latest articles about adoption, parenting, wellbeing and eco-friendly changes.

We’re very lucky because we’ve been given a lot of our children’s clothes which is one of the benefits of being the last one of my friends and family to have kids.

I love that some of my girls’ favourite outfits were worn by their big cousins too. That’s why I love this photo because of the clothes our youngest is wearing as they’re over 10 years old. The outfit originally belonged to my eldest niece who’s now 19 (that makes me feel really old!!). It was then passed on to my youngest niece, then my eldest daughter, and now my youngest.

In a world of fast fashion where we’re encouraged to buy all of the latest trends each season, even for young kids, I’m very proud that most of the clothes my girls wear belonged to other kids before them.

When I was a kid, wearing second-hand clothes had a stigma attached to it so I’m pleased the tide is changing on that.

I’m very grateful to my big sis, best friend, and our neighbour who have all passed on clothes. The clothes bring back memories for everyone and it’s lovely to see the treasured pieces having a new lease of life.

Eco-friendly clothing

But perhaps the most important aspect of hand-me-down clothes is the benefit to the environment. The fast fashion industry is one of the biggest consumers of water and is believed to be responsible for around 10% of global carbon emissions. That’s more than all maritime shipping and international flights combined.

Fast fashion copies catwalk styles and involves quick design, production, distribution and marketing of clothing which is delivered to consumers at a low price. Analysis and research carried out shows the devastating environmental impact this type of fashion has from drying up water sources to polluting rivers and streams.

And because the industry has a quick turn-around of pieces that aren’t necessarily created to last, a large percentage of it ends up in landfill.

So, what’s the alternative?

There isn’t a quick fix, but changing the way we buy clothes is where it starts. Buying quality items that will last reduces the volume of waste.

KiDSiE

One company that is offering a different buying option is KiDSiE. They are a premium outlet for top-quality children’s clothing and toys at discounted prices because they are either ex-display, end-of-line, returns, clearance, and gently used products.

Everything is in great condition saving you money, and keeping clothes and products out of landfill. They’ve partnered with leading brands and High Street names to create positive change in the way we buy that is kinder to the environment.

KiDSiE believes that sustainability and affordability can go hand-in-hand which helps us to build a better future for our children. They’re on a mission to make parenting easier, more affordable, and sustainable for everyone.

Head over to the KiDSiE’s website and if you spot some things you love, make sure you use my code WMAW10 which gives you a 10% discount. I get paid a fee if you buy, but that’s not why I’m telling you about them. I’m part of the KiDSiE collaborative as I love the ethos behind the company and am passionate about finding ways we can all shop in a more sustainable way.

 Head to the Eco-Friendly Changes section to get more tips and advice about living in a more sustainable way.

The history of gift wrapping

Early use of wrapping paper has been traced back to ancient China in around the 2nd century BC when monetary gifts were wrapped with paper. The wrapped gifts were handed out by the Chinese court to government officials.

Fast forward many centuries, and two American brothers Rollie and Joyce Hall started to sell tissue paper for the holiday season. The brothers who founded Hallmark, are credited as being the founders of the modern-day gifting wrapping industry in 1917.

The industry has moved on a lot since the early days. Now, glitter-encrusted and shiny paper are popular choices to wrap the gifts we place under our Christmas tree. These types of paper are not recyclable. It’s estimated that UK consumers use around 227,000 miles of wrapping paper each year, and of that, approximately 108 million rolls of wrapping paper will end up in the bin and ultimately land-fill.

Waste

If we were to recycle all wrapping paper waste, according to allthingssupplychain.com it could use 70% less energy than making new paper from scratch. Recycling just one ton of paper, saves 17 trees, 18.7 square feet of landfill space, and 4,000 kilowatts of electricity. That’s a massive energy saving.

So, why don’t we recycle more? And what is a more sustainable option so that the gift recipient still gets to enjoy the thrill of unwrapping?

Firstly, not all wrapping paper can be recycled. Glittery, glossy paper is the worst culprit. It may look beautiful, but it will end up in landfill because of what it’s made from. The rule of thumb to find out if paper is recyclable is to scrunch it up. If it stays in a ball, it can be recycled. Gift wrapping is often fastened with plastic tape and finished off with plastic ribbon. All of these may look great but have a negative impact on the environment.

Eco-friendly gift wrapping

The more eco-friendly option is to use something that can be used next year. And the year after, and for many years to come. You can get really creative with this.

Home-made biscuits and sweets would look fabulous in glass jars. They can be used time and time again, not just for wrapping gifts, but for everyday storage too so they’re a great idea. The jars could then be wrapped in old newspapers which has a low environmental impact. Old maps make great wrapping paper too, so if you’ve got a stash of them in the loft, get them out.

If they’re for Christmas presents, add some pine cones found on a winter walk, with some cinnamon sticks secured with an old piece of string to create a beautiful festive feel.

If you’ve got kids, get them to decorate good old brown paper bags with pens or a rubber stamp to create unique and recyclable gift wrapping. As it’s made by the kids, it’s also part of the gift.

The wrapping has a personal touch with lots of great patterns which will also help to teach kids about creating a more sustainable Christmas. Using washi tape rather than traditional sticky tape is also a simple way to cut down on single-use plastics.

Reusable fabric wrapping

The reusable options we love in our house, are fabric gift wrap and reusable gift bags. They’re a no-brainer. The first Christmas we used them, I was worried the kids would feel they’d missed out on ripping the paper off. But I needn’t have worried because they loved it.

I used some beautiful ribbon I’d saved from gifts and packaging I’d received throughout the year to fasten the fabric sheets so it was sustainable gift wrapping. And it was so quick and easy to put several smaller gifts into fabric gift bags which are zero waste and best of all, absolutely no mess!

It took seconds to round up the bags and wrapping sheets once the presents were opened. I folded them up and put them with the rest of my gift-wrapping supplies, ready for the next year.

We don’t just use reusable gift wrapping for Christmas. We’ve got bags and wrapping sheets made from end-of-line fabrics that we use for the rest of the year to wrap birthday presents too. The possibilities for eco-friendly gift wrapping really are endless and will give the gift receiver just as much, if not more joy, than ripping open a gift wrapped in paper that won’t end up in the recycling bin.

If you enjoyed reading this article, why not buy me a coffee to help keep the magazine free for everyone to read? If you’d like to read more articles about adoption, parenting health and well-being, and eco-swaps, head over to the home page and have a look at what’s new.

Hygiene and personal care accounts for 44% of their use across Europe, with only 3% coming from surgical or medical use (source: Friends of the Earth).

One of the major US manufacturers of wipes produces 125 billion a year. That’s enough to stretch to the moon and back 24 times. It’s estimated we use around 11 billion in the UK each year.

Convenience

Single-use wipes are a quick and convenient way to clean. Once they’ve been used, we throw them in the bin or flush them down the loo and don’t give them a second thought. But what happens after we’ve got rid of them?

If wipes are flushed down the loo, they end up in the sewerage system and then they can find their way onto beaches and into our oceans. If they’re put in the bin, they end up in landfill sites. It’s thought it can take 500 years for most wipes to biodegrade.

According to the Marine Conservation Society, an average of 18 wet wipes were found for every 100 metres of coastline they cleaned and surveyed. This made them the third most common litter item on UK beaches in 2020.

Harmful to marine life

When wipes find their way into our oceans, it causes problems for marine life. Bigger chunks of wipes are a choking hazard to wildlife. Then, as they break down into smaller pieces, they spread into waterways and become entangled in the marine environment. Marine animals then ingest them as they feed making them ill which can ultimately kill them.

Friends of the Earth reported that wet wipes are the major cause of fatbergs in sewers across the world. These are formed from wipes that stick to grease and other gunk to form the masses. They block sewers and are difficult to get rid of.

Wipes were the main cause (90%) of sewer blockages investigated by Water UK in 2017. River cleaning teams found that hundreds of thousands had formed into a new riverbed in the Thames from wipes flushed down toilets in London.

So, what’s the solution?

Reusable wipes

Switching to reusable wipes, even for a few days a week, has a huge positive impact on the volume of waste being pumped into our oceans and dumped in landfill sites. They can be used for everything you’d use a single wipe for such as cleaning your baby or removing make-up.

There is a range of places that sell reusable fabric wipes such as Eco-Us UK and Cheeky Wipes.

You can use the wipes on their own and wet them each time. Or, have some pre-prepared in a container. Simply add several wipes to the box, some water, and a couple of drops of diluted essential oil. Then you’ll have sweet-smelling wet wipes at your fingertips.

Once you’ve used them, they’re washable at up to 40 degrees so can be used time and time again. So once you’ve bought your initial wipes, they’ll soon save you money. Plus, there’s no need to worry about running out.

Save money

Using single-use wipes because they’re cheaper is a false economy. Take wet wipes for example. A box of 12, 52 wipe packets costs around £10. If you’ve got a young baby, you can easily get through a packet every couple of days. So, on average, that’s probably a box of 12 every 3 or 4 weeks.

Reusable wipes start at around £12 for 10. So, if you bought three packets to make sure you’ve got enough spares, that’s £36.

Over a year, if you bought a box of single-use wipes a month, you’re spending £120. If you bought 30 reusable wipes, it’s £36. That’s quite a saving. And it’s not just the impact it has on your finances. The impact of changing to reusable wipes for the environment is huge.

If you enjoyed reading this article, why not buy me a coffee to help keep the magazine free for everyone to read? If you’d like to read more articles about adoption, health and well-being, and parenting, head over to the home page and have a look at what’s new.

The consumption of single-use plastic is at an all-time high. Globally we produce around 370 million metric tons of plastic a year, huge amounts of which end up as waste. These often end up in landfill sites and pollute our waterways, causing catastrophic damage to marine life.

A lot of single-use plastic comes from a desire for quick and easy solutions to help us through our day. Things like straws, coffee cups, food containers, and wet wipes may make our lives easier, but they clog up our bins and add to the ever-increasing mounds of waste in our environment.

A lot of the food we buy in supermarkets is wrapped in plastic. This is reducing, but it’s still a popular and convenient way for supermarkets in particular to present food. Growing your own fruit and vegetables not only helps to reduce single-use plastic, but it’s good for your health too.

Changing to products that are kinder to the world we live in doesn’t mean spending more money. Although the initial outlay will be more than a single-use product, in the long run, it often works out to be cheaper. Here are four easy swaps you can make that won’t break to bank and will help to reduce the amount of waste your household generates:

Re-use hot drink cups

We use and discard approximately 2.5 billion coffee cups in the UK every year. Only around 1 in 400 are recycled. That’s a lot of waste. Getting into the habit of taking a refillable cup with you every day can take a while. But it’s definitely worth the effort.

Most coffee shops will let you use your own cup (as long as it’s clean!) so it just takes a bit of planning to make sure you’ve got it with you every day. There are lots of stylish eco-friendly reusable cups on the market, such as these gorgeous William Morris design ones from The Real Bamboo Company. Or these practical cups from JJ Wonderland Co that have handles making them easier to carry.

I guess the only dilemma then is which reusable cup to buy!

Reducing single-use plastic: Milk bottles

Plastic milk bottles currently account for around 10% of all plastic used. Whilst every type of plastic can, technically, be recycled, not all of it is. Whether a particular type is recycled depends on economic and logistical factors.

The plastics used to make milk and soft drink bottles are the most widely recycled. But in the UK, each local authority decides which materials they recycle. Some widely recycle plastic. Some don’t. So you’ll need to check with your local council to find out whether they recycle plastic milk bottles.

The best way of making sure the bottle you get your milk in doesn’t add to the volume of waste we create is to use bottles that can be used time and time again. A glass milk bottle is the traditional way milk has been delivered to households up and down the country since the late 1800s. The rise of the supermarket so the use of the milkman demise, but there’s recently been a rise in their popularity again.

Milk deliveries

We started using a milkman again during lockdown. Milk was one of the things that often sold out in supermarkets. Having our milk delivered helped me feel a bit more in control of what felt like a very out-of-control situation. And the fact that it came from a local farm and was delivered in eco-packaging was a huge bonus.

On average, a milk bottle is used 13 times before it’s recycled. Recycling glass in the UK saves enough energy to launch 10 space shuttle missions. Every tonne recycled saves 246kg of CO2 emissions, and the process uses less energy than it does to create new glass.

So, getting your milk delivered by a milkman is a win-win. There are lots of local and national diaries that deliver not just milk, but fresh produce like milk, fruit, and vegetables too.

We currently use The Modern Milkman and have done for a while now. I like the fact that I can change our order up to 8 pm the night before our delivery. And the range of products they deliver is gradually increasing. We got vegetables for our Christmas dinner delivered a couple of days before the big day last year. They were great value for money, delicious, and meant I had one less thing to worry about.

If you’d like to try the Modern Milkman, use this link to get £5 off your first three orders (minimum order may apply). I also get a voucher if you sign up using my link.

Reusable wipes

A lot of reusable wipes contain traces of plastic. That means they end up in landfill sites or in our waterways causing untold damage to marine life. Wipes that are flushed down the loo create fatbergs in our sewers which cause damage to our infrastructure. If you’d like to read more about the devastating impact the use of single-use wipes has, this article sets it all out clearly.

Replacing single-use wipes with reusable fabric ones is better for the environment, cheaper in the long run, and looks so much nicer! We sell a range of sizes of reusable wipes that we make using lots of end-of-line fabrics that would otherwise end up in the bin. That means they’re unique as well as stylish and kinder to your skin and the environment. Head over to our shop to see the full range and buy reusable fabric wipes.

Reusable shopping bags

It’s a fact that you can never have too many bags. Unless they’re single-use ones. Hopefully, the days of single-use plastic bags are long gone. In their place are a range of bags that we can reuse each time we shop.

You can buy multi-use plastic bags at the checkout of your favourite supermarket. Or pick up a more stylish fabric one. With so many to choose from at a range of price points, there really is no excuse for not having one in your handbag every time you go shopping.

Buying a reusable bag is an easy way of supporting lots of different charities too. There’s something to suit every style. I love these cute panda bags sold by WWF that are made from four recycled water bottles. And these ones sold by the British Red Cross take recycling to a whole new level. They are made by Trashy Bags Africa which is a Social Enterprise, using over 25 used plastic water sachets.

The sachets are the single largest source of drinking water in Ghana. Managing the waste presents an enormous challenge which is where Trash Bags Africa comes in. They collect over 200,000 plastic water sachets every month and upcycle them into wonderful, new products.

Head over to the eco-friendly changes section to get more tips about small changes we can make that are kinder to the environment and help to reduce the amount of single-use plastic we use.

If you enjoyed reading this article, why not buy me a coffee to help keep the magazine free for everyone to read? If you’d like to read more articles about adoption, health and well-being, and parenting, head over to the home page and have a look at what’s new.

Switching to glass milk bottles, or refillable water bottles is the best way of reducing plastic waste. But if you do have some empty bottles, there are lots of different ways you can use them for crafts, or to create something useful in the garden.

Here are five quick and easy ideas to reuse plastic milk bottles that you can do on your own or with the kids:

Snowman Lantern

Snowmen lanterns are quick and easy to make and a fun winter craft to keep the kids occupied. You just need plastic milk bottles, some craft supplies like felt, glue, old hats or fleece material, and either a string of battery-operated Christmas lights, or tea light.

Young children will need help cutting out the shapes, but after that, they can have fun creating cute snowmen, women, or animals.

Milk bottle lanterns

These lanterns are another easy and fun way to give empty plastic milk bottles a new lease of life. You just need some pipe cleaners, pens, stickers or paint, and battery tea lights.

Cut the bottles in half and let the kids decorate them however they want. You’ll need something to make two holes on either side of the lantern, then thread through the pipe cleaner to make a handle. Add the tea light and you’re done!

Bird feeder

Creating a feeder is a great way of encouraging smaller birds to come into your garden in the colder months. They also help younger children understand more about some of the animals that we see in our outdoor spaces, and how we can look after them.

The great thing about bird feeders is you don’t need much outside space to use them, so they work just as well hung out of a window in a high-rise flat, as they do in a garden.

Use a plastic milk bottle, cut out holes in the sides so the birds can access the food, add a stick for them to land on, and holes at the top so you can add string. Then decorate however you like!

Elephants

Creating unique animals from unwanted milk bottles is a great way of keeping little ones occupied, and giving single-use plastic a new purpose in life. Cut the top off the milk bottle at the bottom of the handle, which then forms the trunk. Then cut some arches for the legs.

The kids can then decorate the elephants however they want. Sticking paper on, or sparkles, or just painting or using pens. This post shows them decorated using tissue paper which is really effective.

Reuse plastic milk bottles in the garden

There are lots of ways you can utilise plastic milk bottles in your garden. They make great hanging or static planters which are the perfect way for little ones to grow herbs. Or cut them into a scoop or jug to use them as gardening tools.

Rural Sprout shares some brilliant ways to get plastic milk bottles working hard in your garden. A lot of them will help to get little ones involved with nature, and understand better how to look after and grow food, as well as helping animals to thrive.

If you’ve come up with a useful way of giving empty plastic bottles a new purpose, leave a comment so we can all try it and if you’re looking for inspiration, have a look at this blog about one family’s eco journey.

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In January of last year, the Environment Secretary announced a ban on a range of polluting single-use plastics that will take effect from October this year. The ban includes single-use plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks, and certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers.

Speaking about the need for the ban, Environment Minister Rebecca Pow commented:

“Plastic is a scourge which blights our streets and beautiful countryside and I am determined that we shift away from a single-use culture.

“By introducing a ban later this year we are doubling down on our commitment to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste. We will also be pressing ahead with our ambitious plans for a deposit return scheme for drinks containers and consistent recycling collections in England.”

The stats

It is estimated that England uses 2.7 billion items of single-use cutlery and 721 million single-use plates per year. Only 10% of those are recycled which means a huge amount end up in landfill or our oceans.

Plastic pollution takes hundreds of years to break down and inflicts serious damage to our oceans, rivers, and land. It is also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, from the production and manufacture of the plastic itself to the way it is disposed of.

In 2020, plastic cutlery was in the top 15 littered items in England. Previous bans of single-use plastic items such as cotton buds, stirrers, and straws, have had a big impact on the amount of waste that found its way into our oceans. Before the ban, these products contributed to approximately 5.7% of marine litter.

With the introduction of the ban, businesses and individuals will need to come up with eco-friendly solutions to traditional fast food containers and things like party plates and cups. Supermarket chain Co-op is already taking steps to remove unnecessary plastic from its shelves.

Matt Hood, Co-op Food MD said:

“We have been at the forefront of eradicating unnecessary plastic, so it is encouraging to see this ban being introduced and we have already removed plastic cutlery from our food to go, offering wooden forks instead. We were the first retailer to ensure all of our own brand food and drink packaging is 100% recyclable through our in-store soft plastic recycling scheme, with all the soft plastics returned being processed in the UK.

“I welcome today’s announcement, and believe we must all continue to work together if we are to combat the climate emergency and have an environment we are proud to pass on to future generations.”

Reducing single-use plastic

A lot of the single-use plastics we use come from the culture of doing things on the go. Fast food, eating at your desk, and hot drinks as you travel to work have driven the demand for disposable items. But now is the time to change. To take a step back and make more mindful choices that have a smaller impact on our environment.

Just as we do meal planning, planning what cutlery, etc you need to take, or making sure you’ve got a reusable coffee cup with you every day will be key. There are so many lovely designs around for these kinds of things and no doubt as the implementation date for the ban draws closer, there’ll be more reusable products on the market.

Other initiatives that are likely to be implemented soon include a Deposit Return Scheme. The scheme aims to encourage the recycling of billions of plastic bottles and therefore preventing them from heading to landfill sites or being incinerated. To encourage people to think before they throw things in the bin, there needs to be more consistency across the country in terms of recycling collections. This is something that the government is also aiming to tackle.

So, the message is clear: reuse, reuse, reuse, and help to protect our planet. 

If you enjoyed reading this article, why not buy me a coffee to help keep the magazine free for everyone to read? If you’d like to read more articles about adoption, health and well-being, and parenting, head over to the home page and have a look at what’s new.