since about 1875, easter has been linked with chocolate in the uk. it was the time when the first chocolate easter eggs were sold out in the shops.nowadays, it is the secondbiggest chocolateselling time of the year, with more than 80 million chocolate easter eggs sold out. however, while the companies, who produce the easter eggs and the kids who get them rub their hands, ecologists are not so happy. it is estimated that it will require about 4370 tonnes of cardboard to package those eggs. it will require about 160 tonnes of foil and millions of plastic trays. along with greeting cards, above 8000 tons of waste is generated by easter celebrations. in an effort to minimize that, friends of the earth scotland have created a guide to celebrate easter in ecofriendly manner 1. create your own easter eggs all you need is the easter egg moulds and chocolate. it&rsquos a great fun to make own easter eggs. furthermore, it is waste friendly and is cheaper in the long run. easter egg moulds can be purchased for as little as £2.99. in just £2.99, you will get a pack that includes 36 mini egg moulds and 2 large moulds. from a number of stores, you can purchase eggmaking kits. 2. select chocolate gifts that are wrapped in the foil only try to purchase chocolate gifts which only come wrapped in foil. as foil is recyclable, it reduces burden on the environment. 3. create your own easter basket fill your easter basket with a mixture of small foil wrapped chocolate bunnies and eggs. in the same amount of money, you&39ll find you get a lot of chocolates as compared to purchasing an overpackaged easter egg 4. try nonchocolate gifts the kids would love mugs, bookmarks, or a soft toy easter chicksbunnies. these can be bought fairly cheaply and will last much longer. furthermore, they&39re healthier, as well. 5. give longerlasting gifts for teenagers or adults there are gifts available such as chocolates sold in reusable containers or easter soaps and toiletries. there are giant bath bomb packs &eggshaped soap, and one high street shop is offering organic milk chocolate eggs with garlanded shells in areu sable storage jar. some shops are also selling a wide series of reusable easter gifts for children such as toy trains with mini eggs inside, small chocolate egg stuck inside butterfly purses, or an easter egg hunt kit in a box. 6. handpaint normal eggs you can handpaint normal eggs and decorate them with colourful materials such as ribbons or scrap paper. these are traditional way and make an attractive gift with a personal touch. some stores also sell egg decorating kits for about £3. 7. wastefree easter eats if you&39re organizing a special meal for easter, avoid purchasing packaged vegetables and fruit. purchase them loose instead this is a very easy choice to make as well as it doesn&39t cost you anything extra. for dessert after your easter meal, prepare your own homemade cookies or scones shaped as eggs or cut out in the form of chicks or bunnies. 8. have extravaganza day out you can take a family trip to any of the events historic scotland is hosting during the easter period. there are a lot of fun easter activities in scotland for people of all ages. 9. keep in mind the 3r&39s reduce, reuse, and recycle to conclude, if you do not have any option to a packaged easter egg, then keep in mind to recycle the foil and cardboard. source of information httpwww.lifeandwork.orgnewsnewspost18howtohaveanecofriendlyeaster
