The casual composter’s guide to Christmas

Whether you’re celebrating Christmas or simply enjoying a well-deserved break there’s always time to make sustainability part of the festivities. Conscious gifting, being zero waste and environmentally-friendly eating are all awesome ways to be eco-friendly but to us composting is number one (obviously).

As our gift to you, enjoy our definitive guide on how to make sure your compost survives Christmas!

The Presents

Wrappings - Maybe

Brown paper packaging tied up with string is definitely one of compost’s favourite things! Depending on how much you’ve treated yourself this season, there may be a lot of wrapping paper that can be returned to the soil. Just be careful that it’s not laminated or covered in plastic coating and any sticky tape is taken off.

Cards and Tags - Maybe

Same deal with these. Cards are often glittered to death, which won’t be decomposing for decades. If you can take these off the cardboard part, they’re good but if not then the recycling is the place to go.

Ribbons and Bows - Maybe

Some ribbons are made from natural fibres that will definitely break down but the ones containing foil or plastic are unfortunately destined for landfill.

Gift Boxes - Yes

If they’re cardboard, they can go in the compost.

The Dinner

Paper plates - Yes

The problem with paper is that it can’t be recycled if it’s stained and covered with food. Not to fear though, because they can be composted! If you’re loading up for seconds and thirds on paper plates, make sure to throw those dirty dishes in the right bin.

Wine corks - Yes

For those who are washing down dinner with a bottle (or two … or three) of wine, at least you can feel good about it this year and not too guilty. While they take a little while, corks are organic and will eventually break down, so pour another glass!

Food Waste - Yes

If you’re too stuffed to finish off your feast, feed it to the soil! You can definitely compost any leftovers you might have but just make sure you’re minimising the amount of meat that’s going in.

The Decorations

Trees and Wreaths - Maybe

Even though most trees these days are plastic, it’s worth saying that any real ones are 100% compostable. Take off the tinsel and the baubles, cut it down to size and you’ve got a great base for your next compost batch.

Paper Chains - Yes

If you’re big on the traditional decorations and have whipped up miles of paper chains, they can all be composted!

Mistletoe - Yes

For any of you Christmas lovebirds out there: yes, you can definitely compost that mistletoe once you’ve finished up with it.

Ok, with all those maybes, this isn’t quite as definitive as we’d like but compost can be pretty tricky business and making sure waste is organic before it goes in the bin is super important.

So, this holiday season, turn the celebration into a chance to level up your compost game and give the gift of a cleaner, greener world.

Shop our Christmas Sale now on our website and get your loved one's the gift that keeps giving. 

For more compost, follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn!