Reduce waste this silly season

While it is a wonderful time of year, the holiday season can be pretty wasteful.

It’s estimated that Kiwis send an extra 50,000 tonnes of waste to landfill the week after Christmas, which is an increase of about 30 per cent.

Here are some top tips from Hastings District Council’s waste minimisation team:

-         Gift thoughtfully

-          Make your own gifts: bake, sew, knit, weave, build, paint…

-          Buy gifts that people actually want. Ask them!

-          Shop second-hand, check out the op-shops or the online re-sale marketplaces.

-          Buy locally made and up-cycled products. The Re-new Market on December 17 is the perfect place to check out.

-          Give experience vouchers instead of things. And think local….

-          Ditch the wrapping paper. Did you know that most wrapping paper can’t be recycled? Use things you have like; fabric, scarves, tea towels, paper bags or pre-used gift wrap that you’ve saved up.

-          Check out Furoshiki: The art of Japanese fabric wrapping.

-          Looking for a fun educational gift? Worm farms eat your food scraps and provide the best fertiliser around!

Food for thought

Food and Christmas go hand in hand. But all too often this leads to overbuying and food going to waste. The best thing you can do to reduce food waste is plan what you’re going to eat, write a shopping list and stick to it. Have a think about recipes that can use up those leftovers and make sure you have plenty of space in your fridge and freezer.

For more great ideas and leftover recipe ideas check out lovefoodhatewaste.co.nz

More recycling than your crates can handle? Bring your excess to one of our transfer stations. 

5 December 2022

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