Garden Organic's top tips for a greener Christmas

Put Christmas leftovers such as vegetable peelings to good use by feeding them to the compost heap. The Organic Gardening Catalogue has an array of compost bins to get you started and our composting pages have all the advice you need to become a master of compost.

When you do your Christmas food shop buy locally grown, organic fruit and veg from farm shops, veg box schemes and farmer's markets. The produce will not only be seasonal, local and without pesticides it will also be free from plastic wrapping thereby reducing food miles, pollution and waste. Better still make it your new year's resolution to Dig for Victory and start growing your own veggies for next year's Christmas table, see our monthly gardening tips to help get you started.

Don't send your Christmas waste to landfill; make the most of all recycling opportunities by depositing wine bottles, cans, paper, plastics and even Christmas trees at recycling banks.

Fairy lights lights might look pretty but when there's nobody around to enjoy them, switch them off! 15% of household electricity is lost by leaving electrical items plugged in or on standby.

We throw away enough paper each Christmas that we could wrap the entire isle of Guernsey. So before you dump yours in the bin remember a combination of composting, reusing and recycling is the most eco friendly way of disposing of waste.
Wrap presents with string to help others recycle too!

Buy organic Christmas dinner; organic farming uses 26% less energy than non-organic agriculture. If you can't get hold of organic ingredients buy local produce instead, this lessens a product's food miles, which is also better for the environment. Garden Organic Ryton has an award winning organic shop where you can pick up some tasty supplies. Open daily, 9am-5pm.

Choose a natural Christmas tree over a plastic one. There is much debate around this but the consensus is that natural is better. Natural trees are grown sustainably, are recyclable and carbon neutral, whereas plastic trees use large amounts of energy to produce and do not decompose when thrown away. To be truly green, buy an organic tree or a living FSC regulated tree, which can be replanted in the garden and used year after year.

Manufactured tinsel and trimmings are energy intensive to produce and difficult to dispose of in an eco-friendly way. Why not try decorating your home with natural materials from the garden instead? Holly branches and pinecones give a lovely festive look and scent and both can be composted, or disposed of as green waste once the festivities are over. We are holding a course in Making natural Christmas decorations on 4th December at Garden Organic Ryton.

Candles and Christmas go hand in hand, but paraffin candles don't do our health or the environment any good. Try beeswax or vegetable-based candles for a friendlier option for both you and the planet.

So you've taken steps towards a greener Christmas, but why not go further by giving your own green gift to an environmental charity? Garden Organic is the UK's leading organic charity dedicated to creating a healthy and sustainable future for people and the planet. Become a member, buy a gift membership, or make a donation to show your support and enable the research and promotion of organic, gardening, farming and food. Call 024 7630 3517 or find out about Garden organic membership here.