Zero Waste & The Holidays

Which of these zero waste principles do you already follow, if any?Think about your life in general in 2026 so far. The many Rs of Zero Waste:

Refuse (say no to things you don't need)

Rethink

Reduce

Reuse

Refill

Repurpose

Repair

Re-earth / Rot (compost)

Re-gift

Refurbish

Redesign

Other

Will you generally continue those same zero waste principles/habits during the holiday season?The holiday season includes festivities like Halloween, Día de los Muertos, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, Lunar New Year, and more.

YESNO

Do you think you'll stop or pause any of your zero waste habits during the holiday season?

YESNO

Please explain.

Which of these did you do in 2025?Category: Gifts

saved gift wrap/bags/envelopes to use again

used the gift wrap/bags/envelopes again

used the Furoshiki method to wrap gifts (in cloth)

gave unwrapped gifts

made an agreement with friends or family to skip gift-giving

actually stuck to that agreement

gifted DIY/homemade gifts

thrifted gift(s)

re-gifted something

gifted an experience instead of a physical item

gifted cash/money

specifically chose the gift/wrapping/card with recycled content

specifically chose a more sustainable/ethical gift

Other

Which of these did you do in 2025?Category: Decorations

made my own DIY holiday decorations

reused decorations from previous years

did not buy any new decor at all

thrifted new-to-me decor

Other

Which of these did you do in 2025?Category: Food

planned and portioned meals to avoid food waste

ate/used/donated all leftover food

composted food scraps

composted leftover food

used what we already had on hand

used fruit/vegetables I/my family grew

made a vegetarian holiday meal

made a vegan holiday meal

specifically chose organic or sustainable certified ingredients

specifically chose local ingredients

specifically chose package-free ingredients

Other

Which of these did you do in 2025?Category: single-use or reuse. For this survey, 'reusable' means a durable item that is meant to be washed and reused over and over again. If you hosted a holiday gathering, answer based on that.

ate exclusively on reusable dishware

exclusively used reusable towels/rags in the kitchen for clean-up

exclusively used reusable napkins at the table

cooked and served food exclusively in reusable containers/bakeware

drank exclusively from reusable cups

made and served drinks in reusable containers (ex: jugs)

Other

Did you do any of the previous reuse options partially? Which?The past question asked if you did those things exclusively. Did you combine reuse and disposable at any point? Which elements? For example, "we used both reusable napkins and disposable paper napkins." or "I used reusable pots and pans but made the turkey in a disposable aluminum tray."

Do you plan to implement any new zero waste principles/habits this holiday season?

YESNO

Which one(s?)If you were inspired by anything within this survey, let us know!

What is the biggest thing preventing you from implementing any/more zero waste principle(s) during the holiday season?Please choose your top 3.

family pressure or unwillingness to participate

it's too stressful

it's not up to me

I just want it to feel magical

I want clean-up to be as easy as possible

thinking about zero waste isn't fun or joyful

I want to make my kids/nieces/nephews/etc happy

it's perceived badly to re-gift or gift something thrifted

limited/no zero waste options for food where I am

limited/no zero waste options for gifts where I am

tradition / habit

no time to plan ahead like that

I/a family member have specific needs that make anything zero waste impossible

no compost in my area

no recycling in my area

I already do enough

Other

What do you think is the biggest thing preventing people you know from implementing any/more zero waste principle(s) during the holiday season?Please choose your top 3.

family pressure or unwillingness to participate

it's too stressful

they just want it to feel magical

they want clean-up to be as easy as possible

thinking about zero waste isn't fun or joyful

they want to make my kids/nieces/nephews/etc happy

it's perceived badly to re-gift or gift something thrifted

limited/no zero waste options for food where they are

limited/no zero waste options for gifts where they are

tradition / habit

no time to plan ahead like that

they/their family member have specific needs that make anything zero waste impossible

no compost in their area

no recycling in their area

they feel they already do enough

Other

What would help support you to reduce stuff and waste during the holidays?

What would help support you to reduce stuff and waste during the holidays?Please choose your top 3.

willingness/interest from family

willingness/interest from friends

more sustainable shopping/gift options available in my area

less exposure to marketing/advertising

practice/confidence saying no to stuff

more education about what to do / how to choose

a pre-built checklist for different aspects of zero waste

having more free time

other people not gifting me/my family/my household as much stuff

Other

We hope you'll join us to talk about barriers and solutions to zero waste during the holidays at our Zero Waste Month virtual roundtable!Oct 29th at 12pm PT via Zoom or live on YouTube! Go to zerowastemonth.org for the registration links to all the weekly conversations.

See you there! (Oct 29!)

I'll catch the recording! (YouTube!)

I'll pass

Type option 4

This is the end of the survey! Please provide any final thoughts, comments, or questions.

Please enter your email if you would like to be sent a copy of your survey answers. This information is not collected by R20W for marketing or any other purposes. Hayden immediately deletes the email column to anonymize the responses.

example@example.com

Zero Waste & The Holidays