Want your Christmas to be more environmentally conscious this year? Here’s some simple tips for styling your festive dining table in a eco-friendly way.

While you might only spend a few hours of Christmas Day sat at it, your dining table can be a big source of waste when it comes to Christmas dinner.

However, it’s not just the leftover food that can end up taking its toll on the planet, but your styling choices too.

With 78% of Brits considering how to make this Christmas a more sustainable one, the experts at Denby have come up with some simple ways for you to apply some green principles to eco Christmas table.

Go green with decoration

Avoid shiny plastic decorations and look to nature for your design scheme and colour palette. A winter walk makes a great opportunity to forage for festive foliage and look for firs, pinecones and holly leaves. Use these to create a statement centrepiece or garland over natural linen cloths to create a simple and stylish base.

Read more: 6 hanging Christmas centrepiece ideas you can DIY

Seasonal scents

Creating a festive scent is a great way to build an atmosphere for your dining table and can be achieved with simple, natural materials. Add delicious smelling dried fruits, such as orange slices dried in the oven, and winter plants to your table. Cinnamon sticks, fir and eucalyptus will all add aroma.

Buy to last

If you are buying new crockery or decoration for your dining table, make sure you invest in pieces that are built to last and that can be used for years to come.

Eco crackers

Crafting your own crackers is more eco-friendly and could become a new family tradition to enjoy every year. Here’s how to do it:

• Place a landscape piece of recycled A4 wrapping paper decorative side down, secure a cardboard tube in place lengthways before rolling it in the paper and glue a cracker snap inside if using.
• Scrunch the end of the paper at one end of the tube and tie with a ribbon or twine before adding in a handwritten note of thanks for family and friends.
• Finally, secure the other side of the cracker and it’s ready to use.

Waste-free place settings

Create an extra special welcome to the table for loved ones with a personalised place setting. Edible table decorations with names piped in icing are a waste-free and delicious way to spruce up a table. Or the ceramic ‘Kind Little Angel’ character from Denby, tied with ribbon and a name tag attached, is a thoughtful addition which can be used as a tree decoration next Christmas too