The Christmas season sees staggering amounts of non-recyclable plastic waste thrown out by Britons, and 99% of people surveyed said they threw out the plastic gifts inside Christmas crackers.
In view of being more sustainable, the dinner gifting tradition could benefit from a swap of materials and more personalised fillings.
Rebecca Snowden, Interior Style Advisor at FurnitureChoice.co.uk, shares an easy guide to creating an eco-friendly version of the traditional Christmas cracker.
1. Prepare the materials
– Recyclable wrapping paper or brown paper
– Toilet roll tubes
– Twine or ribbon
– Scissors and glue or double sided sticky tape
– Cracker snaps
– Paper or foil-wrapped treats; or handwritten jokes to go inside the crackers
– Natural decorative items (sprigs, dried oranges etc)
2. Start by wrapping the toilet roll tubes
Line up three rolls of toilet paper tubes and measure out the chosen paper so it is enough to wrap around the rolls. Cut out the measured paper.
Wrap the paper around the tubes and secure using double sided tape or glue. Avoid sticking the paper directly on the two tubes at either end as these will be removed later.
3. Create the cracker sections
Slightly pull out one of the tubes to leave a space between this and the centre tube. Gently twist the rolls in opposite directions to create a crease where the twine will go.
Tie a piece of twine in a bow around the crease. Pull out the tube from that end of the cracker.
4. Add cracker snaps and fill with personalised treats
Add a little glue to one of the cracker snaps and place it through the center of the rolled paper, then press the cracker snap into the paper so that it stays in place.
Fill the cracker with some sweets or jokes through the open end. Then, repeat the previous steps for the other side of the cracker. At this stage, trim the ends slightly if they look too long or uneven.
5. Decorate the eco-friendly Christmas cracker
Decorate to personal preference. Little wooden stars or natural Christmas themed decorations like sprigs or even dried fruit would work.