Andrew Wiseman explores why, at Christmas, we do not lose our understanding of waste but just choose to suspend some principles.
For eleven months of the year, waste is seen as having a negative effect on society and the environment. We’re told about the amount of plastic in the oceans. We’re encouraged to waste less food. We’re implored to buy sustainably sourced products and avoid buying things we don’t really need. Then as the first bars of Mariah Carey hit the airwaves, we stock up, over-buy, and tell ourselves that this is just part of the Christmas experience.
This year’s Mustard Christmas survey has captured this contradiction almost perfectly. When we asked consumers about the biggest Christmas eco-sins, they tell us about food and plastic waste. At the same time, when we ask them what they expect to waste money on, the answers are one and the same.
We are not confused about what counts as waste. We just tolerate it for a few weeks.
The eco-sins everyone agrees on
When people are shown a list of possible Christmas eco-sins, the usual suspects sit proudly on top of the waste pile.
Almost half of people (48%) say that throwing away too much leftover food is one of the biggest things we shouldn’t be doing at Christmas. It sits clearly ahead of everything else.
You’ve probably observed this yourself. You’ll have had that moment in the supermarket, staring at your (or someone else’s) already full trolley and thinking ‘how is all that going to be consumed?’. But in true festive style, we add that additional piece of cheese, packet of sausages or whatever, ‘just in case’.
Outside of food waste, we also see the following things being added to our list of waste:
- About four in ten people point to plastic “tat” gifts;
- Over a third highlight buying unwanted presents;
- A third call out buying clothes that will only be worn once or twice.
These aren’t marginal, minority opinions. They are shared judgements about items with a short shelf life and with potential for buyers’ regret. We’ve all been there. The novelty jumper worn once. The gift that finds a home in a cupboard. The decoration that looked great in the shop but unnecessary at home.
Outside of our top four, some things that are commonly discussed in sustainability feel less relevant here. Only around one in five mention too many lights or unnecessary decorations, and long car journeys barely register at all. Waste that happens inside the home seems to feel more of a personal responsibility than energy use or travel, despite the continued push towards net zero.
Very few people reject the idea that Christmas is wasteful. So, having established that Christmas being wasteful isn’t up for debate, let’s look at what people will actually do.
So where will we waste money this Christmas?
When we ask consumers about their own intentions about where they expected to waste money this year, we see parallels with what they told us was ‘bad’ in theory.
Food waste is again dominant, but this time in several different forms. People expect to waste money on food thrown away because of over-catering, food that passes its use-by date before being eaten, and expensive food or drink that turns out not to be worth it.
This is arguably three bad habits, not just one. It is planned over-buying, as evidenced by our ‘trolley tale’ above. Consumers are buying a version of Christmas where everyone eats exactly what was planned and still has room for leftovers on Boxing Day.
Clothing appears again too. Outfits bought for Christmas parties that will only be worn once or twice rank highly, as does buying clothes for other people that they will rarely or never wear. Many of us know the feeling of paying for something while already knowing deep-down that it may never be worn.
Children’s gifts also stand out. Gifts that will be rarely played with or used are widely recognised as a waste of money, yet few parents would argue that buying fewer presents is emotionally straightforward. That need for the present pile and the smile from excited kids outweighs the knowledge that things will end up in drawers or cluttering up the bedroom floor come January.
There are also other forms of waste that are less obvious. Cards sent out of habit rather than real connection. Decorations bought for novelty rather than longevity. Wrapping paper and ribbons designed to be torn off and thrown away. These might not seem big in isolation, but bring them together, and it all adds to the problem.
From a research perspective, this shows both contradiction and candour. Christmas waste is not hidden. It is expected, as much a part of Christmas as the King’s speech or three hours (!) of soap operas to fall asleep to after one too many sherries…
So what does this mean?
Clearly, this is not a failure of awareness when it comes to waste. It is a clash between established values and situational anxiety.
The need for reassurance is key to the stress-free experience; Extra food removes the anxiety of running out of something. Extra gifts remove the anxiety of disappointing friends or family. Extra effort removes the anxiety of being judged for ‘not quite doing it right’.
Sustainability messaging at Christmas is not competing with ignorance. It is competing with comfort.
But surely sustainability messaging must be having some impact?
Looking at the year-on-year data on wasted money, not as much as you might’ve expected (or hoped).
Food-related waste remains the most likely area where people expect to waste money, with very little movement compared to last year. Despite cost pressures, sustainability conversations, and good intentions, expectations around Christmas food waste remain stubbornly consistent.
There are signs of making some small changes. Waste linked to cards, wrapping, and decorations shows a small decline year on year. These feel easier to cut back on without changing what Christmas means.
There is also a small group who say they will not waste money at all. Whether that reflects genuine restraint festive optimism or telling us what they think we want to hear is unclear. But given its presence in multiple waves of data, there’s a small sign that norms may be shifting slowly, even if behaviour lags.
We wouldn’t really expect anything less. These behaviours are habitual, and moreover, based on tradition – we should be more surprised if we were to witness dramatic shifts in these figures.
What’s next for sustainability at Christmas?
Sustainability isn’t purely rational. At Christmas especially, it is closely linked to identity, social expectation, and emotional reassurance. People are not trying to be efficient. They are trying to be good hosts, thoughtful partners, and generous parents. Waste often appears not as intent, but as the proverbial leftovers from the Christmas excess.
This isn’t the only Christmas contradiction. We talk about simplicity while planning elaborate meals. We value thoughtfulness while panic-buying presents. We recognise waste even as we create it. We know that these things are happening, deep down. We can even predict excess long before it happens. And yet, we crack on anyway, balancing our values with enjoyment, responsibility and reassurance.
What matters is in not denying the presence of these contradictions but in allowing space for honesty about them. When people are given permission to admit waste, they do, and that honesty reveals far more about their actual behaviour than ideals ever could. This may not be perfect sustainability, but it reflects a deeply human starting point: one shaped by care, connection, and the desire to get Christmas “right,” even when that comes at a cost.