Christmas plastic dumping: why and how to reduce waste during the holidays?

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 12. 02. 12:07

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Christmas is one of the annual peaks in plastic waste production. Gift wrapping and plastic containers from holiday food orders accumulate in huge quantities during this period, while Hungary is underperforming in recycling. For this reason alone, it is worth consciously reducing the amount of plastics, but in its Christmas compilation, Körkörös.hu also draws attention to the many dangers that plastic packaging poses to our health.

During Christmas, the amount of single-use plastic packaging and food boxes increases dramatically. According to European Union statistics, in 2023 the average plastic packaging waste was 35.3 kg/person/year – of which only 42.1% was recycled, and in Hungary this ratio is even worse: only 23% of plastic packaging is recycled, meaning that the vast majority of plastic packaging generated during the holiday season is likely not returned to the environment. into the cycle, and the mixed material packaging is practically not recyclable at all.

In Budapest, the holiday waste dumping is more spectacular every year, as is clearly demonstrated by the fact that communal and selective collection does not stop during the Christmas period – in fact, certain waste yards operate with longer opening hours on December 23 to cope with the holiday load – we read in previous announcements of the FKF Waste Management Division.

Recycling plastic gift items, multi-layered decorative packaging or toys combined with metal and electronics is uneconomical or technologically difficult. A significant part of these ends up in municipal waste after a short period of use. The situation is similar with packaging: aesthetic, glossy coated papers and laminated plastic films are not actually recyclable, so their fate is decided at the moment of purchase.

Why are plastic containers dangerous?

The surge in food orders in December also contributes greatly to Christmas plastic dumping: food mostly arrives in disposable plastic containers.

Nowadays, we hear more and more that eating food from disposable plastic containers or ordering food in them is not only an environmental problem, but also poses serious health and environmental risks. The compounds released from plastics are also harmful to the human body!