KIRSTIE ALLSOPP’S guide to a plastic-free Christmas 

There’s no denying Christmas can be a riot of excess plastic. 

We will throw out almost 100 million bin bags of packaging over the festive period — that’s 114,000 tonnes of plastic. Most of it will end up incinerated or in landfill.

So while it’s true we’ve made so much progress when it comes to cutting back on plastic, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s impossible to keep up any good practices at this time of year. 

But, as you’ll read here in our realistic plastic-free Christmas guide, it’s just a matter of doing your best to apply the same resolutions you hold year round.

For example, I wrap all my presents in plain brown paper. It’s recycled and recyclable, unlike the more glitzy stuff in the supermarket. 

The key to making brown paper packages sing is using bright and colourful ribbon. I’m on the hunt for pretty ribbons all year.

Don’t fancy brown paper? Try cloth or material. Cloth wrapping really is re-usable, and can form an additional present. 

I try to take into consideration how far my gift of choice might have travelled, and how much water might have been used in its manufacture. I’m more inclined to pick out a sweater, hat or scarf knitted from British wool than something cheap made in China [File photo]

We will throw out almost 100 million bin bags of packaging over the festive period — that’s 114,000 tonnes of plastic

If I’m wrapping a baby’s Christmas gift, I’ll use a pretty printed muslin cloth. Any kitchen-oriented gift can similarly be wrapped in a funky tea towel.

I also have a stash of paper gift bags I use in December. I just pop a festive sticker over any logo and tie the top with ribbon.

My festive theme this year is ‘old and new’. I want to encourage everyone to resist the temptation to throw everything out and buy fresh ones. 

Sometimes your tree needs pepping up. But why not try wood or glass trinkets and decorations? Look after them carefully so they can be enjoyed year after year.

My festive theme this year is ‘old and new’. I want to encourage everyone to resist the temptation to throw everything out and buy fresh ones

Shop-bought crackers are no longer part of my Christmas. They can be one big plastic problem. 

You could take the extra time to hunt for environmentally friendly alternatives. Or make your own crackers, but it takes ages — I’ve tried.

Maybe you don’t need crackers at all. Why not make the table look lovely with pine cones and scraps of old tinsel instead? 

It’s a simple trick: I might be known for my penchant for crafting, but you don’t have to be particularly artistic when you’re trying to avoid waste. 

This year, I’m thinking about being more environmentally conscious with the presents I buy. 

This year, I’m thinking about being more environmentally conscious with the presents I buy

We need to change our mindset, so you’re not seen as a cheapskate if you buy ‘pre-loved’.

My partner, Ben Andersen, is the child of an antiques dealer so he has always been incapable of buying anything new. 

I applaud that idea and I want non-new to become ‘cool’ too. It isn’t shameful or grubby.

If you’ve taken time to find the perfect gift, it’s still a lovely gesture. When I can’t go ‘pre-loved’, I buy carefully. 

We need to change our mindset, so you’re not seen as a cheapskate if you buy ‘pre-loved’

I’m always on the look-out for beauty products packaged in glass or metal to give as plastic-free gifts.

I try to take into consideration how far my gift of choice might have travelled, and how much water might have been used in its manufacture.

I’m more inclined to pick out a sweater, hat or scarf knitted from British wool than something cheap made in China.

Don’t be too hard on yourself if you fail to avoid plastic altogether.

If one of my children — I have two sons aged 11 and 13, and two stepsons aged 17 and 20 — announces they want a Nerf gun, I’m not going to say ‘no’ because it’s made of plastic, but I will do my best to offset some of it in other ways.

So this Christmas I urge everyone to embrace a few old-fashioned values of ‘make do and mend’ and use this time of celebration to nudge ourselves a little further back from our throwaway culture.