How to Have an Eco-Friendly Easter

Easter has been associated with chocolate in the UK since about 1875, when the first chocolate Easter eggs were sold.

These days, it is the second-biggest chocolate-selling period of the year, with over 80 million chocolate Easter eggs sold. But, while the companies who make the eggs and the children who receive them rub their hands, environmentalists are not so happy.
Those eggs will be packaged in an estimated 4370 tonnes of cardboard, 160 tonnes of foil and millions of plastic trays. Along with cards, more than 8000 tonnes of waste is generated by our Easter celebrations.
In an attempt to reduce that, Friends of the Earth Scotland have produced a guide to having an Eco-friendly Easter:

1. Make your own Easter eggs: All you need is the chocolate and Easter egg moulds. It’s great fun, cheaper in the long run and is waste friendly. Easter egg moulds can be bought for as little as £2.99 for a pack that includes 2 large moulds and 36 mini egg moulds. Chocolate egg-making kits can be purchased from a number of stores.

2. Choose chocolate gifts wrapped in foil only: Try to buy chocolate gifts that only come wrapped in foil as this is recyclable.

3. Make your own Easter basket: Fill it with a selection of small foil wrapped chocolate eggs, bunnies. You'll find you get a lot more chocolate for your money than buying an over-packaged Easter egg!

4. Think of non-chocolate gifts: The kids would love a soft toy Easter chicks/bunnies, mugs or bookmarks. These will last much longer and can be bought fairly cheaply- they're healthier too!

5. Choose longer-lasting gifts: For adults or teenagers there are gifts available such as Easter soaps and toiletries, or chocolates sold in reusable containers. There are giant egg-shaped soap & bath bomb packs, and one high street store is selling organic milk chocolate eggs with decorated shells in areu sable storage jar. Other stores are selling a range of reusable Easter gifts for kids including: an Easter egg hunt kit in a box, toy trains with mini eggs inside or small chocolate egg stuck inside butterfly purses.

6. Hand-paint normal eggs: Decorate them with colourful materials such as scrap paper or ribbons. These are traditional and make a pretty gift with a personal touch. Some shops sell egg decorating kits for as little as £3.

7. Have waste-free Easter eats: If you're planning a special meal over Easter avoid buying packaged fruit and vegetables. Buy them loose instead - this is a very simple choice to make and doesn't cost you anything extra. For dessert for your Easter meal make your own homemade scones or cookies shaped as eggs or cut out in the shape of bunnies or chicks.

8. Have an Easter Extravaganza day out: Take a family trip to one of the many events that Historic Scotland is hosting throughout the Easter period. There are loads of fun Easter activities across Scotland for people of all ages.

9. Remember the 3R's - Reduce, Re-use, Recycle: Finally, if you really can't say no to a packaged Easter egg, then remember to recycle the cardboard and foil.

The full article is available here

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