Recycling plastics at Christmas: What to do with your packaging and decorations

Christmas is a magical time full of gifts, decorations and family celebrations.

However, it is also a period in which a large amount of waste is generated, especially plastics.

From gift wrapping to Christmas decorations, it’s important that we take responsible steps to reduce our environmental impact.

In today’s blog we share some ideas for recycling and reusing plastics during these holidays.

Identify recyclable plastics

The first step to effective recycling is to identify what type of plastics can be recycled.

Recycle plastic at Christmas

Gift packaging often includes a mix of materials, such as paper, plastic and metallics, which make it difficult to recycle. Here are some recommendations:

  • Plastic films: Be sure to separate clean plastic wrap from other materials. Plastics marked with codes 1 (PET) and 2 (HDPE) are usually recyclable.
  • Decorations: Avoid throwing garlands or plastic decorations in the general trash. Many times, these can be reused or recycled at specific points.

Reuse before recycling

Reusing is one of the best ways to reduce waste generation. Here are some ideas:

  • Wrap your gifts creatively: Use fabric, kraft paper or recycled paper bags. You can decorate these materials with bows or homemade drawings to give them a unique touch.

Recycle plastic at Christmas

  • Transform your decorations: If you have plastic decorations that you no longer use, give them a second life. For example, you can paint old plastic spheres to create a new design or turn garlands into crafts.

Take your Christmas plastics to a specialized recycling point

Not all plastics can be recycled at home. Therefore, it is important to look for specialized recycling points, such as those offered by companies dedicated to the recovery of plastic waste. These companies process complex materials, such as mixed or laminated plastics, that are not accepted in traditional recycling systems.

Opt for sustainable alternatives

One way to reduce the use of plastics is to opt for more sustainable materials in your Christmas celebrations:

  • Natural decorations: Use tree branches, pine cones or dried fruits as decorations.

Recycle plastic at Christmas

  • Plastic-free gifts: Choose products that come in recyclable or packaging-free packaging.

Educate your family and friends

Christmas is also an excellent opportunity to share the message of sustainability. Encourage your loved ones to recycle and adopt environmentally responsible habits. It is clear that Christmas, with its charm and celebration, also generates a significant amount of plastic waste.

Recycle plastic at Christmas

Taking advantage of these holidays to recycle properly not only reduces the environmental impact, but also encourages more responsible consumption. By separating plastics according to their type and taking them to appropriate recycling points, you help give them a new life, minimizing their ecological footprint. Opting for reusable packaging, decorations made from recycled materials and avoiding single-use products are small gestures that make a big difference. In our company, we are dedicated to transforming this waste into valuable resources, promoting a sustainable cycle for plastic. This holiday season, let’s make sustainability a tradition. Together, we can turn Christmas waste into opportunities to care for the planet, showing that the Christmas spirit also includes responsibility for our environment. Let’s recycle for a greener future! Merry christmas!

Christmas crafts with mason jars

In a few days we have to get to the Christmas decorations. As recycling lovers that we are, we are going to propose some Christmas crafts with glass jars.

So go saving all those mason jars and take note;)

The best way to recycle mason jars

During the Christmas season we generate more waste. This is because we eat more meals and dinners with family and friends and therefore consume more food and drink.

From Baidal you know that we always encourage you to recycle everything possible and deposit the garbage in the corresponding containers.

If we buy foods that are packaged in glass jars, we can reserve a few to decorate them and make them part of our Christmas atmosphere.

In addition, after the holidays, we can deposit them in the glass container.

Jar with snow

Source: Pinterest

To make the decoration of this jar we need:

– One or more empty and clean glass jars.

-Common salt or epson salt that is a little larger and will give us a more “snowflake” appearance.

-Rope.

-Glue, which is usually used for crafts.

-Candles or Led lights.

-Pineapples, green leaves, berries …

Making these beautiful jars that will look great in our Christmas decorations is very easy:

-Once empty, wash and dry the glass jar well.

-We put the glue all over the outside of the jar with the help of a brush.

-Next, sprinkle the salt all over the jar, being careful not to touch the glue.

-We let it dry for about 20 minutes.

-We tie with the rope two pineapples, berries, leaves or any other element that we like and we think it looks good.

-We put the rope around the neck of the jar.

-To finish, we put a candle or Led lights, whatever we prefer, inside the jar.

Jars with candles as protagonists

Fuente: Hogarmanía

Jars and candles are the perfect combination for Christmas decorations.

We can simply put red or white candles inside the jar and that’s it or we can add something else.

Need:

-A clean glass jar.

-A candle.

-Salt.

-Decoration berries.

-A piece of ribbon, either made of fabric or red wool.

Elaboration:

-We put salt in the jar until a little less than half.

-We place the candle in the center.

-Around the candle we put the decoration berries.

-We make a bow on the neck of the jar with the ribbon.

A Christmas landscape in a jar

Source: Pinterest

If the jar is a good size, we can create our own Christmas passage inside.

It is very easy and we can use ornaments that we have at home, even our children’s dolls, they will love it.

Necessary elements:

-A clean glass jar.

-Cotton

-Some Christmas figure, such as a snowman, a tree or any figure that we like and that fits inside the jar.

-A few tree twigs.

-A piece of cloth.

-Rope or wool.

Elaboration:

-We put cotton in the jar until the entire bottom is covered.

-We place the figure or figures that we have chosen.

-We put the branches to look like a tree.

-We close the jar and place the piece of cloth covering the lid.

-We tie the fabric with rope, thread or wool, making a loop.

Recycling is fun, as you can see and all it brings us are advantages.

These are just a few examples, but imagination to power!

With a glass jar and a few elements you can create a Christmas decoration to your liking and totally personalized.

Share your designs with us😉