The holiday season is full of joy, but it can also create a lot of waste.
From our friends at the Sustainable Schools Program, here are some tips for a waste wise celebration:
Wrapping Ideas
- Does it pass the scrunch test? If wrapping paper stays scrunched, it is probably recyclable. If it springs back, put it in your general waste bin or save it for next year.
- Avoid foil, glitter, and plastic-coated paper as these cannot be recycled.
- Reuse gift bags and boxes you already have.
- Try furoshiki (Japanese fabric wrapping) with leftover fabric.
- Decorate gifts with natural touches like twine, pinecones or dried flowers instead of plastic ribbons.
Decorations and trees
- Use solar-powered or LED lights for energy efficiency.
- Choose a reusable tree that lasts for years.
- If you buy a real tree, after Christmas:
- a) Drop-off for free at the at Mugga Lane Resource Management Centre. Conditions apply.
- b) Cut into small pieces (no longer than 45cm, branch diameter less than 10cm) and dispose in your garden organics (green-lidded) bin.
- c) Drop off free at Parkwood Yard, Belconnen, Canberra Sand and Gravel(CSG) or for a small fee at Mitchell CSG. Conditions apply.
Gifts and decorations with batteries
- Batteries and devices with built-in batteries must not go in your household waste bins. Recycle them through specialised battery recycling programs such as at Aldi.
- Broken lights or decorations? Remove any batteries first, bag the lights and place them in your general waste bin. Loose wires can damage waste equipment.
- Items with embedded batteries that cannot be removed should go to the hazardous waste area at a Resource Management Centrein either Mitchell or Mugga Lane.
Find more recycling tips in our A–Z guide to waste and recycling:
http://www.act.gov.au/recyclopaedia
Felicity Maher
Sustainability Officer
