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Reduce, reuse and recycle this Christmas

Christmas gifts wrapped in recycled materials

Follow some simple recycling tips to green up your Christmas this year - reduce, reuse and recycle.

Friday 14 December 2018

The festive season can be an ideal time to catch up with family and friends, but we also create more waste at Christmas than any other time of the year. Use the following tips to ‘green’ your festive season:

  • Give thoughtful gifts - find out what your family or friends really want, or take them shopping. Consider buying an experience or donating to charity on their behalf.
  • Choose reusable or recyclable wrapping such as paper, newspaper or children’s artwork.
  • Buy or make good quality decorations that can be reused year after year. Rather than buying new decoration why not swap with friends?
  • Avoid food waste by planning meals and use leftovers. Compost unavoidable food scraps.
  • Recycle old mobile phones, printer cartridges, computers and tablets.
  • If you’re giving a battery-operated gift, include a battery recharger and rechargeable batteries.
  • Flatten items that can be recycled so you can fit more in your yellow-lidded bin.
  • Recycle right. Only rigid plastic containers are recyclable. If you’re not sure which type of plastic is recyclable do the scrunch test – if you can scrunch up plastic in your hand it is soft plastic and needs to go in the rubbish bin (unless you can reuse it or take it to a REDcycle drop off points at participating Coles or Woolworths supermarkets).
  • If you have lots of recyclable items you can drop them at the Castlemaine or Maldon waste facilities for free.
  • If you can’t reuse them, make sure you recycle Christmas cards and envelopes (even those with glitter), cardboard packaging and wrapping paper.
  • Items that can't go in the yellow-lidded recycling bins include tinsel, Christmas decorations, Christmas lights, cellophane and foil wrapping and Christmas trees.

Along with a green Christmas, Councillors and staff at Mount Alexander Shire wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season. For more information read our waste and recycling guide.


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