12 ‘wastes’ of Christmas

Food glorious

food1Don’t waste food scraps – place in a compost bin or worm farm. Your scraps will be back feeding your garden and reducing water use in no time. Compost bins and worm farms make excellent Christmas gifts too!

Some councils allow food scraps in the green organics bin. Ask your council for more information.

Tip: Freeze seafood and foods with strong odours until the day of your bin collection.

Less is more2 Give a treat which has less environmental impact, such as a massage or tickets to an event.

3Bottled and canned cheer

4Recycling is not numberedDoes the triangular symbol with a number from 1 to 7 in it mean the item is recyclable?

No! This is a plastics identification code used by manufacturers to label the type of plastic.

Rigid plastic bottles and containers that hold their own shape, including soft drink and milk bottles as well as take-away containers can be recycled in your recycling bin.

Soft plastics create problems at kerbside recycling facilities so never place recyclables in plastic bags. Simply put all recyclables into the recycling bin loose and soft plastics and bags can be recycled at metropolitan Coles stores or placed in the waste bin.

5Give bottles, jars and tins a quick rinse before placing in your recycling bin to ensure these are free from food contamination that may resign them to landfill. The water you use to rinse will be more than made up for in the water saved recycling versus making a new item from raw materials.

Keep it clean

Most food and drink packaging, including bottles, jars, cans and tins, cardboard boxes and cartons can be recycled. Don’t forget to cash in cans and bottles with a 10 cent deposit.

6Lids off

Place metal lids inside a steel can, squeeze the top closed so they don’t fall out.

Many lids can be recycled too.

The festive season is a great time for celebrating with family and friends. However, all that consumption can leave quite a bit of waste.

Here are ways to indulge and still be environmentally thoughtful.

Green Industries SA

E-Christmas9 Got a new tv or electronic item from a loved one?

Let’s make it clearer7 Not all glass can go in your recycling bin. Glass bottles and jars are perfect but drinking glasses, oven-proof glass and crockery have to go in the waste bin.

Powered up8Buy rechargeable batteries and a battery recharger. They are not only a wise environmental choice but save you money too.Other used batteries can often be recycled, but not in your recycling bin.

Visit www.recycleright.sa.gov.au for recycling locations near you.

The ‘white’ Christmas packaging

10Polystyrene foam packaging, even if it has that triangular symbol, is not recyclable through your kerbside bin so put it in your waste bin.

Once living Christmas trees can be cut into smaller pieces and recycled in your green organics bin. Larger trees can be taken to a waste transfer station which separates organics for composting.

Reuse pre-loved wrap, newspaper and bags and tie with a reusable ribbon instead of tape. Paper wrapping, cards and cardboard boxes can be placed in your recycling bin or reused another time.

That’s a wrap12

If purchasing an artificial tree, make sure it’s good quality and will last you many festive seasons. At the end of its life place in the waste bin.

Please do not put artificial trees in recycling bins.

Green Industries SA

Find recycling locations here: www.recycleright.sa.gov.au

11 Christmas Tree O’ Christmas Tree

Updated December 2016