Life

5 Eco-Friendly Christmas Crackers

Make your festive table even more sustainable.

The holiday season is fast approaching and while for many it is the most wonderful time of the year, the festive season can also be a time of enormous waste. Eighty-three square kilometres of wrapping paper will be thrown out or burnt, and 54 million platefuls of food go in the bin. But don’t fear, having an eco-friendly Christmas might not be as difficult as it sounds.

Crackers, and Christmas, in general, are very sparkly — but all that glitter comes at a cost. According to the National Geographic glitter is a type of microplastic and can find its way into the ocean destroying sea life.

You might think crackers are already eco-friendly and fine to chuck in the recycling along with the festive wrapping paper. After all, it’s just made of card with a paper hat. But from the plastic toys to the unrecyclable glitter, Christmas crackers aren’t all that great for the environment.

So this year might be the time to try out some eco-friendly Christmas cracker ideas.

Make Your Own With A Hat-For-Life

If you're feeling crafty, you could make your own crackers. And if you do, as well as the jokes and present you can add a hat-for-life. They're made from felt and are reusable, so you can keep on adding them into homemade crackers for years to come.

Lakeland Crackers

Lakeland’s whole range of crackers are glitter-free, foil-free and made from fully recyclable card, so you can get your hands on any that pick your fancy!

Woodland Reusable Crackers

Made from natural linen and embroidered with satin thread, these reusable crackers by Kate Sproston Design, will stay with you year after year. They might not make a snap, but they will really add some style to your spread.

But it here

Feeling super fancy this Christmas? Why not grab some creme de la creme Fortnum & Mason crackers? These crackers and their outer box are both recyclable, including the hats and jokes inside. The ribbons, bows and trims, aren’t recycled but they can be re-used for decorating or saved for making your own Christmas crackers next year.

World's Funniest* Recyclable Charity Christmas Crackers

These crackers are not only made of recyclable materials, but you’ll find jokes from some of the UK’s top comedians. It’s all for a good cause, buying purchasing these crackers you’re helping to donate £100,000 to M&s’ charity partner – Together for Short Lives.