A Little Less Plastic. A Little More Meaning.

November 17, 2025 Tracey Bailey

The festive season is nearly here and as you pull out last year's tree and decorations you might be discovering that half the fairy lights don't work, and the glitter has crumbled off the baubles. "Should I just grab something new?" you think to yourself? But your little eco voice chimes in—but, do I need more plastic?

Christmas can be a bit of a tangle. We love the twinkle and the joy and the full-on festive vibes. But we also want to do right by the planet. And that can feel like a lot.

Our Biome community knows that our approach is never about guilt. We’re not the Christmas police. We’re just here to say: you don’t have to nail the perfect eco-friendly Christmas.

It’s about finding your balance—the sweet spot between joy and responsibility, sparkle and simplicity, tradition and change.

What does "finding the balance" really mean?

It means, you can:

Keep your beloved plastic tree and say no to tinsel this year.
Enjoy the glow of lights and pop them on a timer, or support Green Power.
Wrap gifts with love and skip the shiny plastic bows.

It’s not all-or-nothing. Just small shifts that add up.

Where guilt creeps in (and why you can let it go)

Maybe your kids get a pile of plastic toys from family. Maybe the wrapping paper wasn’t recyclable. Maybe you forgot to compost the scraps.

We agree, life’s busy and messy, especially in December. But sustainability isn’t a scorecard. It’s a mindset.

Let go of the guilt and just:

Do what you can
Keep it realistic
Make it feel good for you

Realistic ways to reduce impact this season

No one needs a 30-step zero waste checklist. Here’s a bunch of things that help — and you can take what works:

Decorate with what you already have.
Yes, even the plastic baubles. Reusing them is the eco choice.
And if you are buying new ornaments for the tree, look for Australian made, fairtrade and natural materials such as felt and wood. And heirloom quality that will last forever.

Add some natural flair.
Dried oranges, gum leaves, hand-cut paper stars. There is an endless supply of inspiration and tutorials on Pinterest and Youtube!

Rethink the tree.
Got one already? Perfect. No need to replace it. Still want one? Try potted, second-hand, or handmade. If you do want that gorgeous lifelike plastic tree, make it top quality and one that will outlast you! Explore more plastic free Christmas ideas here.

Gift smart.
Think useful, edible, meaningful, or experience-based.

Wrap simply.
Fabric, tea towel, recycled paper, hand printed kraft paper. It all works. Tie up with natural fibre string instead of shiny ribbon.

A tradition in my home is that we keep the ribbons and gift embellishments - in fact, I still use some that my Mum was using when I was a child (so that's 40 years ago - holy moly!)

A local and seasonal menu.
Make a point of choosing Australian grown, and even better support local farmers markets. Rather than processed and packaged foods, make your own snacks, and support small makers, and your local sourdough bakery.

Compost scraps.
Even if you don't have a worm farm, Bokashi or composter at home, there might be some options to give your waste to community gardens or neighbours.

Save bottles and cans for the Container Deposit scheme.
You may not be bothered to travel to the drop off point yourself, there's likely a neighbour or a local school raising money that will take them off your hands.

Sodastream
The benefits of making your own fizzy water saves an incredible amount of plastic bottles and transport emissions. It's excellent not having to lug heavy bottles around and jam up precious kitchen space.

Pretty lights aren’t the enemy!

We love lights. Truly. They make the place feel like magic. But it helps to:

Use LEDs that last longer
Switch them off overnight
Focus on one area instead of lighting up the whole street
Try solar lanterns
Many homes these days are using solar power too, or paying for Green Power - which is a wonderful thing.