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Approximately80 million chocolate eggs, worth a total value of £520 million, will besold in the UK this year. It has been estimated that this will generatearound 4,370 tonnes of cardboard, 160 tonnes of foil and millions ofitems of discarded plastic waste.

However,you can still enjoy Easter, save money and reduce your impact on theplanet simply by choosing your Easter gifts with care. Read on to findout loads of ways to enjoy Easter without adding to Scotland's growingwaste packaging mountain:

1. Make your own Easter eggs:All you need is the chocolate and Easter egg moulds. It’s great fun,cheaper in the long run and is waste friendly. Easter egg moulds can bebought for as little as £2.99 for a pack that includes 2 large mouldsand 36 mini egg moulds. Chocolate egg-making kits can be purchased froma number of stores.

2. Choose chocolate gifts wrapped in foil only: Try to buy chocolate gifts that only come wrapped in foil as this is recyclable.

3. Make your own Easter basket:Fill it with a selection of small foil wrapped chocolate eggs, bunniesetc. You'll find you get a lot more chocolate for your money thanbuying an over-packaged Easter egg!

	Approximately 80 million chocolate eggs, worth a total value of £520 million, will be sold in the UK this year. It has been estimated that this will generate around 4,370 tonnes of cardboard and 160 tonnes of foil waste.

4. Think of non-chocolate gifts:The kids would love a soft toy Easter chicks/bunnies, mugs orbookmarks. These will last much longer and can be bought fairly cheaply- they're healthier too!

5. Choose longer-lasting gifts:For adults or teenagers there are gifts available such as Easter soapsand toiletries, or chocolates sold in reusable containers. There aregiant egg-shaped soap & bath bomb packs, and one high street storeis selling organic milk chocolate eggs with decorated shells in areusable storage jar. Other stores are selling a range of reusableEaster gifts for kids including: an Easter egg hunt kit in a solidlidded box, toy trains with mini eggs inside or small chocolate eggstucked inside butterfly purses.

6. Hand-paint normal eggs:Decorate them with colourful materials such as scrap paper or ribbons.These are traditional and make a pretty gift with a personal touch. Some shops sell egg decorating kits for as little as £3.

	An average 200g chocolate egg comes with 54g card and 2g of foil - both of which could be recycled. The plastic, however, is non-recyclable and if sent to landfill willlie in the ground for hundreds, possibly thousands, of years.

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7. Adopt a pair of Easter chicks:A very fun and unique Easter gift that could be given as a jointpresent to two children. Adoption costs around £25 for two chicks. See http://www.adoptahen.co.uk for details.

8. Have waste-free Easter eats:If you're planning a special meal over Easter avoid buying packagedfruit and vegetables. Buy them loose instead - this is a very simplechoice to make and doesn't cost you anything extra. For dessert foryour Easter meal make your own homemade scones or cookies shaped aseggs or cut out in the shape of bunnies or chicks.

9. Have an Easter Extravaganza day out: Take a family trip to one of the many events that Historic Scotlandis hosting throughout the Easter period. There's loads of fun Easteractivities across Scotland for people of all ages, including puppetsand comedy shows.

	Itis estimated that approximately 500,000 tonnes of packaging and 500,000tonnes of food waste are thrown out by Scottish households each year.

10. Remember the 3R's - Reduce, Re-use, Recycle: Finally,if you really can't say no to a packaged Easter egg, then remember torecycle the cardboard and foil. Unfortunately, the plastic isnon-recyclable but could be reused as an Easter egg mould.

HAPPY EASTER!

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If you take up any of these waste tips or if you have suggestions of other simple steps people can take to green their lives let us know. Email your tip to: info @foe-scotland.org.uk