We asked plastics experts how they (sustainably) decorate for the holidays
From balloons to wrapping paper, everyone tends to produce more waste this time of year. We asked two scientists for tips on how to be more mindful of the environment when celebrating the holidays.
Whether it’s the haze following a holiday feast, or the madness of shopping for gifts on a deadline, the holidays can be a whirlwind of consumption. Household waste increases between Thanksgiving and New Years, and one of the biggest culprits can be holiday decorations. Single-use balloons, confetti, banners, and other decorations become trash and shed microplastics, which are a growing concern to human health and the environment.
But who wants to think about microplastics when you’re already stressed by obligations, or basking in holiday cheer? Even the most environmentally conscious consumer might find it tedious.
Scientists say holiday decor is worth taking seriously and that making more sustainable choices can be easy—so we asked them what they do.
We spoke with Sara Silva, toxicology and microplastics researcher at the University of Health Sciences in Portugal. Over the summer, Silva’s research group penned a letter arguing that decorations should be considered a serious source of plastic pollution and included in ongoing negotiations to create a global plastics treaty. We also spoke with Trisha Vaidyanathan, science director at Beyond Plastics, whose research focuses on health and plastic pollution.
Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Why is this time of year so damaging to the environment?
Silva: Glitter, confetti, balloons, fake snow that we’ll see a lot now during Christmas, plastic lanterns—all of these are intentionally designed to be small and easily dispersed. When they are released, they are nearly impossible to collect, and they are very difficult to reuse or recycle. So we usually, around these times of celebrations, see pulses of pollution in the environment.
Popping 100 balloons, for example, can release up to 33 million microplastics, which people might not really think about. And glitter [is] not only present in decorations, but also in… children’s toys. This can result in ingestion of these particles, because children put everything in their mouths.
Vaidyanathan: There is a sense of wanting to buy more and more either to create that holiday atmosphere in your own world, or buying gifts for others. Plastic has been injected in a way that isn’t necessary, and that wasn’t always the case.
Whether it’s disposable, or packaging and how we wrap our presents, or single-use table decor for dinner… it’s all a reflection of the bigger [plastics] issue.
Given your research focus, have you changed how you decorate for the holidays?
Vaidyanathan: Absolutely, I think about it differently. I think: 'Is it worth it to have this plastic snowman on my mantel if it’s going to outlive me?' That reframing often helps, shifting that mindset to, ‘is this going to bring me so much joy that it’s worth it for it to last for hundreds of years?’
Last year I made a bunch of snowflakes out of old paper we weren’t using anymore… it was really fun, I got my cousins and family involved, and we put the snowflakes around the house on the windows.
Silva: Yes of course, I try to be more conscious about my choices.
[I look for] garlands made from paper—I like to make art, so I make some of them myself. I search on YouTube for ideas, and try it out with paper. I’m always searching for new ideas to decorate.
I also look at the ingredients [when buying decorations], to see if it has polymers [plastic]… I try to be aware of that. And I try to give my family that information!
Have you found it difficult or awkward to talk to others about making more sustainable choices?
Silva: My parents are a bit more traditional with decorations, so they can be harder to convince. But they’re tired of hearing it from me, so they let me lead decorating around the house. My friends are more accepting... they’re more on board to make changes.
Vaidyanathan: I think I’ve probably gotten more annoying [to family and friends] since I started working in this area. But I think talking to your own community is a nice way to do it, giving them your two cents, rather than waiting for them to read it online or something.
It’s important to keep the focus on the low-hanging fruit of plastic waste. There are things you’re going to keep for a lifetime and maybe even pass down from one generation to the next, but the real issue is all the plastic that we’re going to throw out after one or two years, or a day, or a few minutes when you think of gift wrap.
Are there any specific decorations you always avoid?
Silva: If you see shimmer, normally it has glitter… and glitter is not only made of microplastics, but it's normally coated with metals, which may increase toxicity.
And fake snow is also made from microplastics, literally. Most people don’t know that they’re spreading microplastics in stores and in homes for decoration… I don’t use fake snow, I try to make those changes [in my habits].
Vaidyanathan: Glittery tinsel is often made with PVC, which is one of the most harmful plastics… vinyl chloride is a huge health concern. The building blocks of PVC plastic are carcinogens.
And the fake snow that you put on windows––I grew up in California, and we did that because we didn’t have real snow—those are synthetic polymers, another type of plastic.
Gift wrap is something I’ve been aware of lately too. While it seems like it’s paper, a lot of gift wrap is not recyclable because it actually is covered in a thin sheet of plastic… especially if it has glitter or foil elements.
Also, things you drink out of or eat off of [can shed microplastics]… like a hot eggnog in a plastic mug would be very concerning to me [for my health].
Last July, Sara and three other scientists wrote a letter calling for including plastic decorations in the U.N.’s plastic treaty, which is still being negotiated. Sara, why did you feel it was important to include decorations? And why are regulations important?
Silva: We saw that the current draft wasn’t too ambitious in terms of decorative items; it only noted balloons… and without mentioning most of the decorative plastics that we use.
If this global treaty moves forward and includes this non-essential plastic source––because we don’t have to end Christmas decorations, of course, we can have decorations but without [microplastic] materials––it’s really possible to make this change, to cut down plastic decorations.
Vaidyanathan: I’m always careful to make it clear that while every person should feel empowered to do their best and find ways to mitigate [plastic pollution], you should be angry at the people who caused this problem. This problem was caused by companies selling huge amounts of plastic they’re able to produce cheaply. We need better regulations that are going to keep that production in check and put the onus on companies to reverse this crisis.
Do you have any advice for someone wanting to make their holiday decorating more environmentally conscious but unsure where to start?
Silva: Just try step by step. You don’t have to change your whole life and routine... Even year by year: try to change some things right now, and maybe next year change some more things.
And on YouTube and Pinterest, there are a lot of great ideas––try to be creative!
Vaidyanathan: There are so many alternatives to the plastic-based decor provided to us when we go into a retail store.
I don’t do a lot of Christmas celebrating, but I celebrate Diwali in October with my family. We started using plastic diyas, LED lights, and we always throw them out because they either break or we lose them. We fell into buying those every year because it seemed easier, but we can probably go back to candles, which is what it’s supposed to be.
Last winter I made dried orange garlands for our house, you can decorate with pinecones, beeswax candles, cinnamon sticks, cranberry, and popcorn garlands—all these things exist and have been used, it’s just hard to remember them when you’re facing a huge colorful display of mass-produced plastic items.
It isn’t that long ago that plastic wasn’t this ubiquitous in our lives, and so it wasn’t that long ago that we were able to have just as joyful holiday experiences without all this plastic. We just need to remember what those alternatives are.
