The Christmas season is upon us, below are some simple steps to make your Christmas a little gentler to the Earth.

Secret Santa
Rather than excessive presents shopping amongst friends and family, why not arrange a Secret Santa which helps to cut down on unwanted gifts.

Gift forwarding
Tis the season for giving, why not donate your unwanted gifts to one of the many charity shops located throughout the county after Christmas.

Help your friends embrace a Greener Lifestyle
Kick start your friends on their green journey by gifting them a reusable coffee cup or water bottle or maybe cloth napkins and reusable food containers.

Time for an Experience
If you are unsure what to buy, why not buy your loved ones a memorable experience as their present. This can be anything from tickets to a concert, dinner at a nice restaurant or massage at a nice Spa.

Shop local
Kildare has some fantastic shops dotted around our towns and villages across the county. If you can, consider small businesses for your Christmas shopping needs. By shopping local, you’re helping to support jobs and you are reducing the need to travel long distance.

Gift of Nature
Why not gift a tree or contribute to other biodiversity enhancements projects, there are numerous Irish organisations providing this service, simply check online for further details.

Wrap Gifts Sustainably
Why not get creative and use reusable wrapping options like fabric wraps, old maps, or newspapers. You can also decorate plain brown paper with stamps, drawings or etc for a unique touch.

Cut your Food Waste
Cut food waste by planning your meals ahead to avoid overbuying. Use leftovers creatively and instead of clingfilm, use Tupperware and wax cloth covers to keep leftovers nice and fresh! Compost any food scraps.

When it’s all over, don’t forget to recycle
Collect up all your recyclables’ papers, cardboard and plastics and pop it in the recycle bin. All glass bottles can be brought to your local bring centre. There are 40 across the county. Empty and undamaged drinks containers can be returned through the reverse vending machines throughout the county. Any end of life electronics, batteries or bulbs can be recycled at WEEE recycling centres.

Recycle your Christmas Tree
When the Christmas season has come to an end you can recycle your real Christmas tree at 7 sites across the county. This runs from Friday the 3rd of January to Monday 20th of January inclusive at the following sites.

• Athy, Meeting Lane
• Council Yard, Celbridge Interchange
• Clane, GAA Club
• Maynooth, Council Depot, Leinster Street
• Monasterevin Moore Abbey
• Naas, Fairgreen
• Newbridge, beside the Lidl Distribution Centre