Even with the chaos surrounding us all at the moment, it’s a nice reminder to do things that are important to us, such as spending Easter eating chocolates, sharing gifts and doing an Easter egg hunt! But, another way to make this Easter special, is to celebrate it without plastic.
Plastic-free packaging
When purchasing Easter eggs, there’s all types of packaging to choose from. Some chocolates are wrapped in foil and plastic, while many also include a cardboard box. But, you don’t need all that! Instead, choose chocolate that’s only wrapped in foil. Once you’ve finished your Easter eggs, scrunch the foil into a tight ball and put it in the recycling bin. That’s less waste in the environment and you get to your chocolate quicker. Yummy!
Mark your own Easter basket
If you have a used water or milk bottle, don't throw it away! Did you know you can cut off the bottom half of it to make into an Easter basket? Firstly, find a used plastic bottle, wash it out and then cut off the bottom; this is the bottom of your basket. Now, cut another section of the bottle to use as a handle, and stick it to your basket. Tada! You have your very own Easter egg carrier, and it’s all yours to decorate just the way you want to.
Egg decorating using things you find in your backyard
Now you need something to fill your basket. You can use hard-boiled eggs, paper eggs or wooden eggs, firstly decorating them then hiding them in the backyard to find. To decorate them, look in your backyard or your local park for decorations. You can collect leaves, flowers or other things to stick to your egg. Then, using natural food dyes or paint, put them on the egg and make an outline - this will create a pattern. If you don’t have paint, use nail polish, paper, fabric or string to decorate them and make each one unique. Take your time in creating the most colourful eggs you possibly can. This is fun for everyone in the whole family, and once you’re finished you can put the eggs into your compost!
Plastic Treasure Hunt
Don’t have a backyard for an Easter egg hunt, well our friends at Plastic Oceans UK have the answer for you - a Plastic Treasure Hunt. Watch the video below, use the worksheet to guide you and start collecting and tallying the plastic in your home. You can pick any room in the house, with the treasure hunt lasting around 30 minutes. What are you waiting for, start looking! You can see the video on youtube here.
These are just some of the things we can all do to have a plastic-free Easter. If you’d like to learn more about the impacts of plastic pollution, click here.