Want to shrink your festive footprint? These practical, expert-backed tips can help make silly season more sustainable

• Where do all the products the Filter tests end up?

Whether it’s the gift wrap (108m rolls discarded annually), the food (the average family wastes about £60 of it over the festive period) or the dreaded plastic packaging (more than 114,000 tonnes of it is discarded during Christmas in the UK), there is a lot of unnecessary festive stuff. According to Waste Direct , the UK produces 30% more waste at Christmas than at any other time of year.

A few years ago, a family member started a conversation about finding Christmas overwhelming because they were receiving gifts they didn’t really want or need. That sparked a chain reaction whereby we now have a more considered Christmas, choosing presents more wisely (or not at all) and cutting down on the excess. I’ve taken this experience – which has been truly rewarding – plus the advice of experts, to explore easy and joyful ways to be less wasteful this Christmas.

Want to shrink your festive footprint? These practical, expert-backed tips can help make silly season more sustainable

• Where do all the products the Filter tests end up?

Whether it’s the gift wrap (108m rolls discarded annually), the food (the average family wastes about £60 of it over the festive period) or the dreaded plastic packaging (more than 114,000 tonnes of it is discarded during Christmas in the UK), there is a lot of unnecessary festive stuff. According to Waste Direct , the UK produces 30% more waste at Christmas than at any other time of year.

A few years ago, a family member started a conversation about finding Christmas overwhelming because they were receiving gifts they didn’t really want or need. That sparked a chain reaction whereby we now have a more considered Christmas, choosing presents more wisely (or not at all) and cutting down on the excess. I’ve taken this experience – which has been truly rewarding – plus the advice of experts, to explore easy and joyful ways to be less wasteful this Christmas.

Want to shrink your festive footprint? These practical, expert-backed tips can help make silly season more sustainable

• Where do all the products the Filter tests end up?

Whether it’s the gift wrap (108m rolls discarded annually), the food (the average family wastes about £60 of it over the festive period) or the dreaded plastic packaging (more than 114,000 tonnes of it is discarded during Christmas in the UK), there is a lot of unnecessary festive stuff. According to Waste Direct , the UK produces 30% more waste at Christmas than at any other time of year.

A few years ago, a family member started a conversation about finding Christmas overwhelming because they were receiving gifts they didn’t really want or need. That sparked a chain reaction whereby we now have a more considered Christmas, choosing presents more wisely (or not at all) and cutting down on the excess. I’ve taken this experience – which has been truly rewarding – plus the advice of experts, to explore easy and joyful ways to be less wasteful this Christmas.

Sanctions, instability and external meddling are still problems for Ahmed al-Sharaa, one year after Assad’s fall

• Ddivided Syria struggles to escape cycle of violence

• The fall of the house of Assad – in pictures

If ubiquity and handshakes were the only measures of success, Ahmed al-Sharaa would be diplomat of the year.

Since he formally became president of Syria on 29 January 2025, the former leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham – a jihadist group with an al-Qaida lineage – has made a total of 21 public international trips to 13 countries. These include a visit to the UN general assembly, the climate change conference in Brazil, and numerous Arab summits.

Sanctions, instability and external meddling are still problems for Ahmed al-Sharaa, one year after Assad’s fall

• Ddivided Syria struggles to escape cycle of violence

• The fall of the house of Assad – in pictures

If ubiquity and handshakes were the only measures of success, Ahmed al-Sharaa would be diplomat of the year.

Since he formally became president of Syria on 29 January 2025, the former leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham – a jihadist group with an al-Qaida lineage – has made a total of 21 public international trips to 13 countries. These include a visit to the UN general assembly, the climate change conference in Brazil, and numerous Arab summits.

Sanctions, instability and external meddling are still problems for Ahmed al-Sharaa, one year after Assad’s fall

• Ddivided Syria struggles to escape cycle of violence

• The fall of the house of Assad – in pictures

If ubiquity and handshakes were the only measures of success, Ahmed al-Sharaa would be diplomat of the year.

Since he formally became president of Syria on 29 January 2025, the former leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham – a jihadist group with an al-Qaida lineage – has made a total of 21 public international trips to 13 countries. These include a visit to the UN general assembly, the climate change conference in Brazil, and numerous Arab summits.

OVO Wembley Arena
With additional sets from Dru Hill and Joe, this revue is a little too nostalgic and lacks the advertised festive spirit – but the vocal prowess on show is undeniable

All of the artists on the lineup for the second annual R&B Xmas Ball – Dru Hill, Joe, Toni Braxton and Boyz II Men – have Christmas albums from the last two decades, but rather than putting a twist on carols or crooner standards, this is an evening that merely uses Christmas as an excuse for a night out to hear earnest, heart-rending 90s R&B.

Dru Hill deliver classic R&B in matching outfits, as their 2000s music videos – as seen on kebab shop TVs nationwide – play out behind them, while a set of mostly slow jams from Joe sets the stage for Braxton.

OVO Wembley Arena
With additional sets from Dru Hill and Joe, this revue is a little too nostalgic and lacks the advertised festive spirit – but the vocal prowess on show is undeniable

All of the artists on the lineup for the second annual R&B Xmas Ball – Dru Hill, Joe, Toni Braxton and Boyz II Men – have Christmas albums from the last two decades, but rather than putting a twist on carols or crooner standards, this is an evening that merely uses Christmas as an excuse for a night out to hear earnest, heart-rending 90s R&B.

Dru Hill deliver classic R&B in matching outfits, as their 2000s music videos – as seen on kebab shop TVs nationwide – play out behind them, while a set of mostly slow jams from Joe sets the stage for Braxton.

OVO Wembley Arena
With additional sets from Dru Hill and Joe, this revue is a little too nostalgic and lacks the advertised festive spirit – but the vocal prowess on show is undeniable

All of the artists on the lineup for the second annual R&B Xmas Ball – Dru Hill, Joe, Toni Braxton and Boyz II Men – have Christmas albums from the last two decades, but rather than putting a twist on carols or crooner standards, this is an evening that merely uses Christmas as an excuse for a night out to hear earnest, heart-rending 90s R&B.

Dru Hill deliver classic R&B in matching outfits, as their 2000s music videos – as seen on kebab shop TVs nationwide – play out behind them, while a set of mostly slow jams from Joe sets the stage for Braxton.