The problem with Easter eggs is the packaging that comes with them.

“We now send 5 million tonnes of packaging to landfill every year.”

(Packaging (Reduction) Points of Order in the House of Commons, 2007)

So what are the alternatives?

Packaging Serves a purpose

• it protects the products – helping the consumer to get the product home in one piece
• in some cases it prolongs the life of the product
• it provides information to the consumer
• It helps manufacturers to market the product to the consumer.

Packaging – marketing or gift wrap

This begs the question “What are we actually buying?”

Which? in 2018 calculated the percentage of weight of packaging against chocolate in various eggs and it found that packaging makes up an average 25% of the total weight of the best selling Easter Eggs” (2018). It has rated different eggs to determine which products have the greatest proportion of packaging. Which.

Gift Giving

When we buy a chocolate Easter egg most of us are buying a gift for someone. The packaging says volumes; we choose it with the recipient of the gift in mind and the message that packaging sends. So is the packaging really a fundamental part of the product? Is the packaging the product or 25% of it? The packaging, it seems to me, serves a function similar to gift wrap. So doing away with the packaging is like saying do away with the gift wrap.

I rarely purchase Easter eggs because I don’t value the packaging and I don’t see Easter as an opportunity to tuck into chocolate I wouldn’t otherwise be eating. However, if I was going to buy one I would choose one of the products covered in foil (as suggested by Jo Swinson). For example Lindt produce the chocolate bunny wrapped in foil. The foil can be recycled. Make sure the foil is clean and then roll it into a ball and put it in recycling.

Consumer responsibility

Consumers can take their share of the responsibility by buying eggs with minimal packaging.

The packaging on Montezuma’s eco friendly egg is all cardboard. It has a plain cardboard shell (which will protect the egg) rather like an egg box, with a simple strip of cardboard around it which gives consumers all the necessary information. There is no excessive packaging. The choice of whether or not to buy it or an egg with more packaging belongs to the consumer.

Packaging Laws

Jo Swinton, MP brought a presented a bill in 2007

“That leave be given to bring in a Bill to establish a national body to promote and enforce packaging reduction;

to make provision for the disposal of packaging by certain retailers

to establish binding targets for the reduction of packaging and for connected purposes.”

(Points of Order – in the House of Commons on 23 October 2007)

Unfortunately it was not backed by the government.

Retailer responsibility

She suggests handing excess packaging to the retailer where possible and asking them to deal with it to see what happens. However if you consider the packaging to be gift wrap then this would be self defeating.

What is the cost of this gift wrap and packing

There is a cost to this packaging and consumers are paying this three fold.

Consumers are paying the cost of packaging three times

• at the check out
• in increased council taxes and landfill taxes
• all the environmental cost of more waste going to landfill.

And landfill is running out.

What about raising a tax on all this packaging and so the cost of that ‘gift wrap’/branding/marketing, and ultimately its disposal is paid by the consumer who actually purchased it. This tax would be rather like the sugar tax. The funds raised through this tax could be used for matters relating to waste disposal or like the sugar tax to tackle childhood obesity or obesity in general.

Have you thought of the alternatives to Easter Eggs?

Many of the alternatives to chocolate Easter eggs are far better for the environment and some of them are better for the waistline.

Paint real eggs

Well it is thought the idea of Easter Eggs originated in Mespotamia, where they painted eggs red to symbolise the blood of Christ. Children today paint eggs.

The idea of decorating trees with painted eggs or branches from trees and decorating them with painted eggs is thought to have originated in Germany. Bringing this practice to America is attributed to the German (Dutch) settlers in Pensylvania.

Papier mache eggs and tin eggs

An alternative to the chocolate egg is to make or buy a papier mache egg. Either fill them with something you’ve made yourself or buy foil wrapped eggs to put inside or anything else you fancy. These can be reused every year just like Christmas decorations.

Make you own gift bags and put chocolate eggs in them

You can use scrap fabric to make bags and put add any gifts you like.

Knit or crochet Easter Gifts

If you are not into eggs, and you can crochet or knit, you could crochet some Easter chicks in their eggs rather like the one featured above. If you are into recycling you could use scraps of wool for this project.

Easter Bunnies out of scrap fabrics

You could make some Easter bunnies out of scraps of fabrics. There are patterns available on Etsy eg Spontaneous Stuffies sold by CathyPStudio. A great idea is to use socks beyond repair for the stuffing.

Simnel cake

Simnel cake is a fruitcake with two layers of marzipan, one in the middle and one on top. The top layer is capped by a circle of egg shaped balls of marzipan and then browned under a grill. There were either eleven or sometimes twelve balls to represent the disciples minus Judas. It was originally eaten on the 4th Sunday of Lent, Mothering Sunday, when the 40 day fast would end.

Easter Bonnets

Traditionally Easter was a time when people gave their new bonnets an airing. Children today decorate Easter Bonnets with bunnies and chicks.

There are alternatives to a chocolate Easter egg with all its packaging. Consumers can vote with their feet against packaging. There are obvious health benefits to eating less chocolate and opting to make something instead.

How do you think the government can curb manufacturers use of packaging?

Do you have any other ideas for alternatives to Easter Eggs in packaging?