How to Make Eco-Friendly Crackers

Christmas crackers are a key part of the festive season, but they are also a huge contributor to unrecyclable waste in the UK. Help to combat this issue by making your own, super easy, eco-friendly crackers! They’ll be just as much fun, and you’ll even be able to customise what you put in them – no more rubbish jokes and plastic gifts for your guests this year!

Here’s what you will need:

A cracker template (click to download and print out)
Brown paper
Toilet rolls
Cutting board
Scissors
Craft knife (not essential, but helpful)
Cracker snaps
Ruler
String
Double sided tape

How to make

Cut out your template after you have printed it off, and then use it to trace on outline onto your brown paper. Cut this out afterwards.
Place your toilet roll in the middle of the brown paper, in between the rows of cut out diamonds. Take your cracker snap and thread it through the toilet roll, so that it is in the centre of your cracker. Fill the toilet roll with any jokes, hats, or prizes that you might want to include now.
Place the sticky tape along the bottom edge of the cracker, leaving a space where the diamonds are, then roll and stick the cracker together.
Place the string underneath the diamonds, pull tight, and then tie into a bow. This will make your cracker look like an actual cracker! You can use any pattern or colour of string, or even a ribbon if you wish. Anything to make your cracker look Christmassy!
Make sure to cut off any cracker snap that is showing out of the ends of your cracker, and then personalise them as you wish! You can customise the outside of the cracker with different designs, or even buy some cute wooden charms or tags to tie onto it – the world is your oyster!