Have a low-waste Hanukkah

Hanukkah is the celebration of a single-day of oil lasting eight days, what better way to bring that into your own celebration by making earth’s resources go further? Try these eight ways to reduce waste and make your Hanukkah greener.

1. Eco candles 🕯

Use candles made of more environmentally-friendly materials such as beeswax, coconut or soy instead of than paraffin wax. If it is safe to do so, you can use the traditional olive oil to light your hanukkiah.

2. Alternative gift wrap 🎀

Wrapping paper can’t be put out for kerbside recycling in Bristol, so try using fabric, reusing gift wrap you already have or making your own by decorating plain paper.

3. Reduce food waste 🍽

Only make the amount of food you’ll realistically eat and make a plan for using up any leftovers you do end up with.

To reduce food waste nationally, more and more supermarkets are selling wonky veg. Try buying less-than-perfect (in appearance only!) potatoes for your latkes and making your toppings from scratch. Any that you don’t eat can be frozen for up to two weeks.

4. Reduce packaging waste 🛍

If you want to reduce the amount of packaging in your food shopping, it may help to shop in a few different places. In Bristol we’re lucky to have a wide range of places that sell unpackaged food:

• Greengrocers
• Butchers
• Bakers
• Delicatessens
• Shops and supermarkets with loose items of refill sections
• Fishmongers
• Cheesemongers
• Farmers’ markets

Don’t forget to take containers with you e.g. reusable bags, produce bags, jars, bottles etc. If you aren’t sure where accepts containers, check out City to Sea’s Refill App.

5. Make your own treats 🍪

A great way to reduce both food waste and packaging is to make your own treats instead of buying them from a shop.

6. Decorations 🎉

Make your own decorations from card and paper, even better if you can reuse old magazine or wrapping paper! Reuse and charity shops will also start putting out their second-hand decorations for sale from about November onwards. If you choose to buy new decorations, try and find sustainable ones that can be reused or recycled.

7. Low or no waste gifts 🎁

Give gifts that are low or no waste such as experiences, baked treats or homemade presents. It’s estimated that in the UK, 81 Million unwanted gifts are given each year!

Instead of buying a present the recipient may not want or need, why not gift something simple but useful? You could also make or bake something that will be much more heartfelt than a shop bought item.

8. Recycle any waste you do create ♻️

It’s important not to put food waste into the general waste wheelie bin, instead, put any unavoidable food waste in your Bristol Waste food bin for collection.

Dispose of cooking oil properly by taking it to a Reuse and Recycling Centre. If it’s a small amount, leave it to cool and solidify before putting it in your food waste bin.

Scrunch up all the foil wrappers from Hanukkah gelt into a fist-sized ball before putting it into your green recycling box.