During the Christmas holiday season, food scraps, recycling, and general waste increases around Australia. There are many ways we can reduce this extra waste and keep the festive spirit alive.
Here are our top tips for reducing waste this festive season:
Low waste tips for gift giving
- When choosing wrapping paper, avoid any with foil or cellophane, reuse old paper before recycling it, or use fabric, festive tea towels, reusable gift bags or boxes.
- Avoid buying gifts and products with lots of packaging. Consider giving experiences, vouchers, or memberships instead.
- Did you get a new phone, laptop or power tool for Christmas? Visit our A to Z guide to waste and recycling to learn how to recycle or safely dispose of your old device.
- Choose gifts that are made from upcycled materials. If you can, shop at a charity store.
- Bake edible Christmas presents. Very little waste and delicious!
- Regift or donate gifts that you don’t want, to charity.
- Take Polystyrene packaging to an EPS recycler – Expanded Polystyrene Australia instead of throwing it in the garbage bin.
- If your mixed recycling bin is full, take excess cardboard and wrapping paper to a nearby transfer station. Or store it until your next collection if you can.
- Batteries cannot go in any of your kerbside bins. They are dangerous and can cause fires. Use our A-Z guide to waste and recycling to find your nearest drop-off point to safely dispose of your batteries.
- If you are not sure how to recycle or safely dispose of an item, here are some handy websites:
Low waste tips for entertaining
- Plan ahead, buy wisely and cater to the right amount of people. Visit Love Food Hate Waste for tips to plan well this Christmas.
- Got leftovers? Share them with your friends, family or a local community group. Turn them into a new dish or freeze them for another day. Visit The Great Unwaste for more tips on reducing your food waste.
- Use your home compost bin or food and garden organics bin for any unavoidable food waste.
- Take eligible drink containers to your nearest Container Deposit Scheme refund point. You get 10 cents back for every eligible container.
- Use crockery for entertaining. Avoid using disposable plates, cutlery, or straws when catering.
- Borrow or hire equipment and items that you need for a party, rather than buying them.
- Get creative when decorating your house or tree for Christmas. Try using cuttings from the garden or make items from last year’s gift cards or wrapping paper.
