Give festive season waste a second life

Published on 12 February 2026

Our summer festive season is a great time to get together with family, friends, and see off the year that was. But it can also leave behind a trail of decorations, wrapping paper, perhaps unwanted gifts that can easily end up in landfill, and potentially a live Christmas tree that was once thriving, though probably suited to a cooler climate.

To help reduce waste, we’ve put together a list of five creative and sustainable ideas to give these items a meaningful second life. If you’ve already put everything away for the year, keep these handy for next year.

1. Fairy Lights: Why not use them year-round? 

• Don’t pack away those twinkling lights just yet! You could drape them around mirrors, shelves, or indoor plants to create a warm, cozy atmosphere in your home. They’re perfect for soft lighting in bedrooms or living spaces and generally use slightly less power than your main ceiling lights.
• If your lights are weatherproof, why not use them outside to illuminate your balcony, weave them through the garden or hang them in the trees outside a window.
• You could also get creative by placing the fairy lights inside old jars or wine bottles to make simple homemade lamps or weave them across mantels and doorways.

2. Wrapping Paper & cards: before you put them in the recycling 

• Do you find yourself wondering how on earth could I reuse all of this ripped up wrapping paper left over from present opening? You don’t want to just throw it into the recycling bin (after pulling off all of the sticky-tape of course), and you just want a way to reuse the paper in a meaningful way? Consider these options:
• Shredding the paper up to use as eco-friendly cushioning for packages or to protect fragile items when moving or for storage.
• You could use sections of wrapping paper and cards for scrapbooking, making new cards or labels from next year, or lining drawers with pieces that are still intact.

3. Fabric/clothing as wrapping ‘paper’

• Received clothing that’s not quite your style? You’ve always got the options to donate them to local charities and op shops – they will be greatly appreciated.
• Another idea is to hold onto them and regift. But here’s where you can take it to the next level, why not use the item of clothing as gift wrap. A beautiful new t-shirt is now the wrapping for your second gift. No waste, and your gift receiver thinks you’re very generous and crafty!
• Old fabrics work too. Repurpose worn-out clothing or leftover fabric by cutting it up and making your own wrapping creations. Spotlight have put together a guide to help you with the best way to use fabric to wrap gifts.

4. Don’t throw away those old undies and socks 

It’s no secret that new socks and undies might just be the most common gift at this time of the year. Consider yourself lucky, now you can save your money for the fun stuff. But even better news: you can recycle your old underwear and socks rather than sending them to landfill. When you’re ready to replace your old items with your new gifted ones, check out Underwear for Humanity, which accepts worn socks and undies for textile recycling.

5. Use a native plant as a festive tree 

• Instead of buying a plastic tree, or a cut pine that only lasts the season, why not consider buying a native tree in a pot to use as your festive tree? After the holidays, you could plant it in your garden to create long-lasting habitat for local wildlife. Here's some inspiration.
• Why not take it a step further to embrace the outdoors and establish a permanent outdoor festive tree! With our typically warm end-of-year weather, opening presents under a native tree could be a beautiful tradition.
• Callistemon trees provide the perfect shape, hold solar fairy lights well, and local wildlife love them. Try a River Bottle Brush, and if it’s been a particularly dry or hot year and the tree bloomed early, you can always decorate it with lights and sustainable ornaments to set the festive mood. 

Images, from top to bottom: AI generated image, Eevee the cat watching fairy lights outside, Upcyclemystuff.com, Halyard Home, Underwear for Humanity, Mallee Design