Sustainable Easter Weekend Ideas

Easter is an eagerly anticipated long weekend which is often full of packaging waste from Easter eggs, decorations and costumes. While the chocolate and hot cross buns are great, the packaging they come in leaves much to be desired. Here at smartass, we’re egg-cited to share some sustainable swaps you can easily make to have a more environmentally friendly easter weekend because every little bit counts!

Eco-Friendly Egg Baskets

Ditch the plastic and repurpose your smartass tree-free tissue boxes as Easter baskets. It’s not just Easter eggs that contribute to our increased plastic consumption, but plastics from other items such as baskets and decorations.

Grab a couple of your smartass tissue boxes and get the kids involved to create and decorate their dream easter egg baskets. Not only is it good for the environment but everyone can make it their own. You can also use smartass toilet paper wrappers to shred and make a soft base for all your Easter goodies!

TP Bunny Ears

Get crafty with our toilet paper range and create your own easter bunny ears. Replace the usual plastics with our TP roll and fun colourful wraps. 

How to:

• Gather your smartass toilet rolls and wrappers
• Cut two rolls in half lengthways, and staple these together in a circle to create your headpiece. Wrap and staple smartass wrappers around this to create some colour
• Fold your smartass wrappers into ears, staple on the inside of your headpiece and you’re all ready to go!

Sustainable Easter Treat Wrappers

Rethink your Easter egg hunt by swapping individually wrapped chocolate for homemade chocolate or other plastic-free treats. Wrap them up by using our TP wrappers. They are bright, colourful, fun and save on large amounts of easter egg packaging that is so harmful to our environment. Our compostable wraps are coloured using water and soy-based inks which means you can quickly sweep everything into the home compost bin and hide the evidence. 

Hot Cross Bums… buns

Instead of buying hot cross buns sold in plastic, why not take the time to make your own. Have some fun in the kitchen and get a bit messy with our easy to follow Hot Cross Bums recipe below.  Once cool, use your smartass TP wrappers as a plastic substitute and bundle these wee morsels up for the lunch box or a cheeky easter gift.

smartass Hot Cross Bums Recipe:
Ingredients:

• 250ml milk
• 1 Tbsp yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 40g butter, melted
• 1 egg

Dough:

• 500g plain flour
• ½ cup caster sugar
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• Zest of 1 orange
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 ½ cups sultanas

Crosses:

• 80g plain flour
• ½ cup cold water

Glaze:

• 1 tbsp golden syrup 

Instructions:

1. Heat the milk in a small pot until hot. Remove and pour into a bowl. Cool for a few minutes until just above body temperature. Combine the yeast and teaspoon of sugar, sprinkle over the milk leaving now for 10-15 minutes, until frothy.
2. In a large bowl combine the flour, salt, sugar, mixed spice, cinnamon, ginger, mixed peel, and zests. Make a hole in the middle.
3. Add the melted butter and egg to the yeast. Pour into the middle of the flour. Use a knife to start cutting through the flour to form the dough, then use your hands to completely combine.
4. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured bench along with the sultanas. Knead for ten minutes combining the fruit into the dough as you go. Place it into a lightly oil bowl, cover and place in a warm place for 1 ½ hours or until doubled in size.
5. Remove and knock the dough back, knead for a further 5 minutes. Place back into a clean lightly oiled bowl for a further hour until doubled in size.
6. Line a baking tray with paper. Now divide the dough into 12 even-sized balls, placing them onto the tray and slightly flatten the top. Place a very loose bag over the top that doesn’t touch the top of the buns. A toothpick in a couple of buns will lift the bag. Return to a warm place until doubled in size.
7. While the hot x buns rise make the dough for the crosses. In a small bowl combine the flour and water mixing to form a paste. Place into a piping bag with a small nozzle.
8. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced).
9. Once the buns have doubled in size, remove and pipe on the crosses. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, turning once if needed for even cooking. Remove and sit for 5 minutes.
10. Warm the golden syrup in a microwave. Brush the slightly cooled buns with golden syrup to glaze.

Make sure to share all of your smartass Easter creations with us by tagging @smartasstp