Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, but it can often come at a heavy cost to the environment.
We wanted to share with you some easy tips to make your Christmas more mindful and more environmentally friendly. From choosing gifts wisely, to keeping a mindful eye on food waste, read on for our top 5 tips for a meaningful and waste-wise Christmas.
Plan for all the food
We all love to cook up a storm at Christmas, but did you know that 50 per cent of the average household bin is food? That's a lot of money to throw away on bin day.
To cut down on food waste this Christmas, plan your menu and write a shopping list so you are not buying more than you need. If you end up with leftovers, make a plan, over the next few meals, to eat your way through them. Pop everything into your Tupperware and pop into the fridge. Anything you won't finish, can be popped it in the freezer for another day.
And finally, don't forget about your compost and FOGO. Put whatever can't be eaten from plates and bowls and all your food preparation scraps, into your home compost or FOGO bin.
Choose your gifts wisely
Second hand gifts are a great way to give a gift that is good for the environment. The Tip Shop is a great place to find a collectable, vintage or quirky item to repurpose. You might find a lovely plate or bowl, pair with a useful tea towel, and then be inspired to bake some homemade biscuits.
Experiences also make great gifts, especially for those that have everything. Create a lasting memory with a gift voucher to the cinema, a vineyard, a restaurant, or a night away.
Donating to a charity or cause this Christmas is also a lovely way to support the organisations you love and do some good this Christmas. There are plenty of options online to help local charities or wildlife foundations.
Get smart about gift wrapping
Second hand scarves and upcycled fabric can be used to make some lovely gift wrapping. Visit your local op shop to find some super fabrics or raid the bottom of your linen closet for an old sheet or pillowcase and finish with a fancy ribbon.
If you need to buy wrapping paper, then make sure you are staying away from the metallics and plastic varieties. There are some lovely paper ones available that are much nicer on the environment as they can easily be recycled.
Why throw your wrapping paper away if you can reuse it again next year? Simply cut away the bits that are torn or wrinkly and pop them in the cupboard for the next time.
Any paper wrapping that is not salvageable, can be recycled. Simply remove as much sticky tape as possible.
Recycle your foil
Did you know that foil can be recycled?
This includes the foil from around your turkey and anything else that comes in foil, like those tasty chocolate wrappers. Roll your foil collection into a fist sized ball and pop it into your recycling bin.
Recyclables into your yellow bin please!
Over 10 per cent of what is in the average Hobart bin is easily recyclable using your yellow topped bin.
Most of us know the basics, but what else should be going into the bin? Lids or no lids? For a quick and handy refresher on what goes in and what stays out, check out our handy A-Z waste guide.