What do I think? Is Christmas Sustainable? How would it all work in a changed world?

I can see where you’re coming from, apparently 83 square km of wrapping paper and 125,000 tonnes of plastic packaging were binned and ended up in landfills [1]. I'm sure that’s not very healthy for an economy trying to be sustainable, but hey it’s Christmas! Why would people think of boring things such as sustainability right? Well I think they should anyway... just keep it in the back of their head to recycle what can be recycled [2], otherwise it’s like being on a diet and then pigging out at the end of it, doesn't really work. But it is the single day of the year for some religious groups where they do this (Christians etc.), it’s not as though they do it all year round. Even then, they don’t throw everything away; they will recycle paper and cans from parties just like anyone else would, 20%-30% more glass and cans are collected each year over the Christmas period [3].

I think at the moment, if we are thinking about resources and recycling then... probably yes, I do think it’s sustainable. I think it is because our retailers are set up ready for Christmas [4], and along with the predictability of high consumption it means a sudden surge in resources usage is prepared for. The resources are made ready, early enough and made available in high enough quantities for this time of the year. Recycling plants and landfills sites know about the increase in waste that they should expect this along with the increasing awareness about why we should recycle more means that the stresses on our resources will decrease. More and more people are aware of 'tips' to help them out around Christmas to reduce the resources they use so it is easier to be sustainable [5].

Depends on what you mean by a changed world. If you mean a world where everyone is thinking extremely strongly about sustainability and wouldn't buy a sheet of paper without thinking about sustainability, then don't expect rapping of any kind to take place. Most people would probably just buy bags or hand over gifts without packaging to reduce the waste we use. It happens already, with wine bags so it would just involve all sorts of other gifts as well, since the bag can be reused. I don't think the retailers would be to happy in this world because they would only be selling products that were sustainably made and would be sustainable in the future. Be boring though, I like light and the fact that we can be over excessive for one part of the year over all others, makes it seem more special and more positive.

... Yeh, damn the do-gooders! I want my lights :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmgf60CI_ks <- Really recommend the link 1) Compilation of Waste Statistics from various sources: http://www.reducetheuse.co.uk/Page/Waste/Wastefacts.htm
2) Bradford Council Environment Page: http://www.bradford.gov.uk/bmdc/the_environment/waste_management_street_scene/waste/recycling/christmas/

3) Official Waste Statistics: http://www.wasteonline.org.uk/resources/InformationSheets/ChristmasRecycling.htm

4) Retailers Advice about Christmas: http://www.utalkmarketing.com/Pages/Article.aspx?ArticleID=16056&Title=How_retailers_should_prepare_their_e-commerce_platform_for_Christmas
5) How to have a Green Christmas: http://www.eartheasy.com/give_sustainchristmas.htm