Easter celebrations can be joyful, creative, and welcoming without requiring many new things. At Zero Waste Alliance Cyprus, we wanted to share a few simple ideas that can help make this time of year a little lighter on the environment, while keeping the warmth, beauty, and meaning of the celebration.

A lower-waste Easter does not mean doing everything perfectly. It simply means making a few thoughtful choices: using what we already have, reusing creatively, avoiding unnecessary waste, and celebrating with care.

A few ideas:

• bring out decorations from previous years
• reuse jars, baskets, fabric, and ribbons
• make simple decorations with natural materials
• borrow, share, or swap celebration items with family and friends
• choose reusable tableware and cloth instead of disposable options
• plan meals and shopping more realistically to avoid overbuying
• serve manageable portions and go back for seconds if needed
• store leftovers well and enjoy them over the following days
• share extra food with family, friends, or neighbours

How can we dye Easter eggs naturally?

You can dye eggs using simple ingredients you may already have at home, such as onion skins, turmeric, red cabbage, beetroot, tea or coffee. Natural dyes usually create softer, earthy tones, and the longer the eggs sit in the dye, the deeper the colour becomes. 

A simple method:

1. Prepare your eggs
   Hard-boil the eggs first and let them cool. White eggs usually give brighter results, but brown eggs can also work beautifully. 
2. Make the natural dye
   In a pot, add your ingredient of choice with water. Common options include:
   – yellow onion skins for orange/golden tones
   – turmeric for yellow
   – red cabbage for blue tones
   – beetroot for soft pink
   – coffee or black tea for brown shades 
3. Simmer and strain
   Bring the mixture to a boil, then let it simmer. Some guides suggest around 10 minutes, others around 30 minutes, depending on the method and ingredient. Then let it steep a little longer and strain out the solids. Adding a little white vinegar helps the dye bond to the shell. 
4. Dye the eggs
   Place the eggs in the strained dye and leave them to soak. You can leave them in for 30 minutes, a few hours, or overnight for stronger colour. 
5. Dry gently
   Remove the eggs carefully and let them dry fully before touching too much, since the colour can rub off while still wet. Some people lightly polish the dry eggs with a drop of oil for a soft shine. 

For a leaf pattern:

Place a small leaf or herb flat against the egg, wrap it tightly with a piece of old stocking, nylon, cheesecloth, or similar fabric, and secure it in place. Then place the wrapped egg into the dye. When you remove the fabric and leaf, a botanical print remains on the shell. 

+ activity from the featured photo of the blog