‘Fill your own’ crackers now proving a popular choice with customers.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in shops across Milton Keynes.

And with less than a month to go until the big day, The John Lewis Partnership – which owns both John Lewis and Waitrose – has revealed that its Christmas crackers will no longer feature plastic items.

In a move towards sustainability, the group has announced that the festive trinkets featured within will be made from recyclable paper or metal going forward.

Plastic glitter will also be removed from the material that is used to wrap the crackers, which will be embossed with festive motifs instead.

The glitter will also be removed from its own-brand Christmas gift wrapping by two-thirds across the range.

However, this change won’t come into play until next year, meaning that you can still find plastic toys in the 2019 products.

“Reducing the amount of single-use plastic in products and packaging is really important to us and our customers,” said Dan Cooper, the head Christmas buyer for the company.

“One of the challenges I face as a buyer is that we plan 18 months ahead, so it takes time for changes to become a reality.

“I’m always searching for new, more sustainable products which will make Christmas sparkle but won’t end up spoiling our environment.’

If you’re keen to make your holidays as green as possible, there are other options to choose from this year.

A popular choice with John Lewis and Waitrose shoppers is the ‘fill your own’ crackers, which now account for one in every three packs of crackers sold at the Partnership’s stores.

Visit your local branch of Waitrose at Oakgrove, Milton Keynes. Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 7am-10pm, Sunday 11am-5pm

This feature was published in the December 2019 issue of Celebrate:MK lifestyle magazine. Read the full magazine above or by clicking on this link.