Our favourite planet friendly tree decorations

Dec 07, 2023

In the UK, people will spend on average around £185 per year on new Christmas decorations – we think that’s a-paw-ling (get it, appalling? I hope you laughed). When it’s all added up, it’s a LOT of money and a lot of these end up going to waste when trends change year on year!

Traditional tinsel and baubles aren’t very planet friendly, they are usually made of plastics which can’t be recycled, so we have done you a favour and compiled a list of our favourite planet friendly Christmas decorations that definitely won’t be going out of fashion any time soon.

Wooden Decorations

Wood is a sustainable material and often recyclable, providing its not covered in glitter and glue. Consider buying or making wooden rather than plastic decorations for your tree. These can be left natural for a simplistic look or get creative and paint your own - it’s a great activity to do with friends and family to really get you in the Christmas spirit. 10 points for anyone who creates a panda decoration!

Dried oranges

Trust us, your house will smell AMAZING, and they are so easy to make! All you need is some large oranges, cloves, cinnamon sticks, and pieces of string. Simply slice the oranges into circles, place on a baking tray and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour at 140DegC.

Once cool (and this part is optional), stud the orange slices with cloves and thread the string through the centre of the slices, tying a knot to secure. If you want to be extra fancy, you can tie a cinnamon stick to a few of the slices too.

Recycled Baubles

Today, you can find a wide variety of baubles made from 100% recycled glass – they look just as good (probably better) than standard plastic baubles. They are better for the planet and can last for years (providing there’s no butter fingers in the family). A super easy switch to make your tree more sustainable this year.

Edible decorations

We had to save the best for last - the best kind of tree decorations are the tasty ones. These usually come wrapped in foil and are probably as close as you can get to a zero-waste tree decoration. The chocolate gets eaten (obviously) and the foil is recyclable. Just remember to put them high enough up on the tree so that our furry four-legged friends can’t nab any.

So, there you go, a few ideas on how you can make your tree more sustainable this year – what’s your favourite tree decoration and will you be trying out any of the above? Let us know in the comments.

With love,

Team Cheeky Panda