11 Eco-Friendly Tinsel Alternatives To Deck The Halls With
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Looking for eco-friendly tinsel? Try these eleven sustainable alternatives to deck the halls in an environmentally friendly way.
Tinsel may be a ubiquitous part of decorating your tree. It is the season of sparkle and joy after all. However, tinsel tends to be made of PVC plastic. This plastic is not easily recyclable and is derived from non-renewable fossil fuels. In short, that glittery string of tinsel is bad news for the environment.
If plastic-based tinsel gives you tinsel-itis, then don’t worry. There are sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives out there that look just as good, if not better. Whether you want to DIY or buy, there are heaps of options to make your home more sustainable this Christmas time.
The Eco-Friendly Tinsel Alternatives To Know
Before you buy anything new, it’s important to say that if you have a box of tinsel in your loft, then don’t discard it. Binning things in the name of sustainability isn’t at all good for the environment. The most environmentally friendly thing to do is keep using your strings of tinsel until they reach the end of their life.
If your old tinsel has lost its sparkle, and you’re looking to replace it, then try these sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives. Use the quick links below to jump to a specific section or keep scrolling down for the full post:
- Recyclable Paper Tinsel
- Recycled Paper Tinsel
- Recycled Sari Tinsel
- Felt Tinsel
- Felt Ball Garlands
- Strinsel
- Paper Chains
- Popcorn Garlands
- Dried Orange Garlands
- Clay Star Garlands
- Ribbon
1. Recyclable Paper Tinsel
At £5 per strand, paper tinsel from Paper Street Dolls on Etsy is a great budget-friendly and eco-friendly alternative to tinsel.
Made entirely from paper and stitched to order in Scotland, these fun Christmas fringed streamers are perfect for injecting some colour wherever you choose to place them.
Each streamer is made of two colours of paper stitched together, then hand-cut for a fringed effect. At approximately 10 cm wide and 2 m long, these fluffy ruffles are perfect for draping around your tree or along your bannister.
Available in a variety of colours, you’re sure to find one to match your colour scheme. After the festivities are over, you can carefully store it away until next Christmas.
2. Recycled Paper Tinsel
UK sustainable brand Toast has a beautiful collection of planet-friendly Christmas decorations in stock, from £19. All are made from artisans, using eco-friendly materials, including Fair Trade paper, paper offcuts from other items. My favourite is this pretty ginkgo paper garland, made from paper leaves on a paper-wrapped wire.
3. Recycled Fabric Tinsel
Ethical Superstore makes it easy to ditch the plastic tinsel with its planet-friendly Christmas alternatives. This Fairtrade sari tinsel (£12.95) is handmade in India from recycled saris. Giving a fun festive look, this can be used to decorate your Christmas tree, or your fireplace or staircase, just like you would with regular tinsel.
Available in 2-metre lengths, it’s the perfect way to give your home a festive feel without the plastic. Do note that as each strand is handcrafted from recycled fabric, each piece is unique. This means the exact colour you receive will vary.
4. Felt Tinsel
For another approach to tinsel, try the reusable felt garlands (from £4.70) from Etsy seller Thirty Three Stitches. Here, felt shapes are stitched together in a rainbow to make beautiful, merry and bright garlands.
It’s a great plastic-free alternative to tinsel. Yet it’s not so Christmassy that it can’t be used to decorate your home for parties throughout the year.
Alternatively, if you are feeling crafty, here’s a great tutorial to make your own felt tinsel garland.
5. Felt Ball Garlands
I decorate my own Christmas tree with felt ball garlands that I have collected over the past few years, like this Fairtrade garland (£18) from Aura Que on Not On The High Street. It’s a fun and festive way to add some colour and texture to your tree or your mantlepiece, without having to resort to plastic-based tinsel.
What I love is that whilst tinsel is very Christmas-specific, felt ball garlands can be used throughout the year. Planning a party? Want to add a bit of fun to your kitchen? Just string up your garland!
Aura Que’s garlands are available in a range of colours. In terms of sustainability the strings of felt pom poms are handcrafted by Fair Trade artisans, who felt mulesing-free wool using traditional methods and eco-friendly dyes. Aura Que also uses plastic-free packaging.
6. Strinsel
Nope, that’s not a typo! Strinsel (£17.50) is a plastic-free alternative to PVC tinsel, made by Etsy seller This Thing Is String.
These 2-metre lengths are made from nothing but jute, 100% cotton baker’s twine, and cotton thread. They are then hand-sewn to create these fun, festive garlands. With a little careful storage, these can be reused again and again.
No glue or plastic is used to create these eco-friendly alternatives to tinsel. What’s more, all the packaging used can be reused, composted or widely recycled.
7. Paper Chains
Whether you want to DIY or buy a kit, like this festive-themed kit from Clara & Macy (£9.50 at Not On The High St) made from paper from sustainably managed forests, then paper chains make for a fun eco-friendly alternative to tinsel. These can then be recycled after Christmas, or carefully stored for next year.
The chains in this kit come together with glue dots to keep crafting simple and mess-free. However, you can arm yourself with pages from magazines, colourful paper, or offcuts of wrapping paper to make chains that you can drape all around your house.
8. Popcorn Garlands
Popcorn isn’t just for munching on during your favourite festive movies. Using some popcorn and some fresh cranberries, you can create some pretty garlands for your tree that are entirely home-compostable. This makes for a zero-waste approach to tinsel.
Want to give it a go? Here’s all you need to know about making a popcorn garland this Christmas.
9. Dried Orange Garlands
For another DIY option that’s again entirely home-compostable, why not try drying some orange slices? Once dried, you can make pretty garlands that glisten in the light just like tinsel. And, as a bonus, your house smells amazing too.
Ready for the full how-to? Here’s how to dry orange slices.
10. Clay Star Garlands
Homemade clay star garlands are eco-friendly and make for a pretty alternative to tinsel. All you need is some cornflour and some bicarbonate of soda, and you’re good to go! Here’s how to make these homemade clay garlands in minutes!
11. Ribbon
Finally, ribbon is a great sustainable and low-cost addition to your Christmas tree, that’s reusable year after year. For the lowest environmental impact, reuse what you have, or opt for ribbons made from sustainable fabrics.
To decorate, simply drape the ribbon around your tree like a garland, to bring a bit of colour and interest to your tree without the need for tinsel. Alternatively, blogger Kelley Nan shows you how to make your Christmas tree look incredibly fancy with ribbon.
More Ways To Celebrate Christmas Sustainably
For more ways to celebrate Christmas the eco-conscious way, then do check out my ultimate guide on how to have a sustainable Christmas.
I have tons of ideas, taken from almost a decade’s worth of writing here on Moral Fibres. From what the most sustainable Christmas tree is and zero-waste decorations you can make, to sustainable gift ideas on a budget and meat-free Christmas dinner ideas, it is all there!
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