How to Create a Zero Waste Easter Basket

If you celebrate Easter, we challenge you to create a Zero Waste Easter Basket this year.

What does this mean?

For the purposes of this challenge, we’re defining “zero waste” to mean that the basket you create will produce no garbage that would be sent to landfill. You may recycle (although we encourage you to see if you can reduce the wrappers or packaging that need to be recycled as well!) and compost.

We would love to see your baskets! Please send your photos to newdream@newdream.org.

Suggestions for a Zero Waste Easter Basket:

Baskets:

• Find a secondhand basket that you can reuse year after year. Or, forgo the basket completely and hide the gifts as part of an egg hunt. (Just send us a picture of your hunt items if you choose this route!)

Grass:

• Leave out grass all together.
• Use shredded newspapers or magazines.
• Use straw (can be composted or put on the garden)
• Use wheatgrass or ryegrass.

Eggs:

• You can use real, locally sourced eggs or
• If you like to fill the eggs, these wooden eggs that you use year after year are beautiful (and can be incorporated into your decorations as well) or you can even buy compostable plastic eggs now.

Candy:

• To avoid all the wasteful packaging, buy candy from the bulk section. Then, do as our advisory council member Bea Johnson of Zero Waste Home does: wrap the candy in cloth napkins! Or fill up your reusable eggs.
• If you can’t find everything you need in the bulk section (chocolate bunnies, we’re looking at you), choose one with the least amount of packaging, like this.

Gift Items:

• Give seasonal items that you would have purchased anyway: bathing suits, towels, goggles, seeds, a trowel, and gardening gloves.
• Books
• Art supplies
• Bird feeder and birdseed
• Gift cards (a Kiva gift card would make for a great gift that gives back)
• A customized coupon book ("extra story at bedtime" coupon, "get out of chores" coupon, "later curfew" coupon… For more coupon ideas, check out New Dream’s More Fun, Less Stuff Gift Catalog).