Reduce, reuse, recycle, rejoice: Cutting waste at Christmas
While Christmas is known as the time to be kinder to our fellow man, Planet Ark is asking all Australians to consider the impact our festive excesses have on the environment. Brad Gray explains how some simple actions can make your Christmas more joyful for the planet (and your wallet).
The festive season is synonymous with good fun and indulgence. We eat, drink, party and buy more than any other time of the year, but unfortunately it’s also when we’re toughest on the environment because of the extra waste we generate and the extra resources we consume.
One of the biggest culprits is food. Australian households throw out about A$5.2 billion of food every year, enough to fill more than 450,000 garbage trucks, yet last year we still spent around $913 million on extra food at Christmas. There’s no denying the festive family celebration wouldn’t be quite the same without mum’s roast, but there’s reason to be sensible about it. Staggeringly, the level of emissions generated by household food waste in landfill is similar to the total emissions involved in the manufacture and supply of iron and steel in Australia.
While eating, drinking and supermarket spending levels are at their highest at the onset of the festive season, planning ahead can be beneficial for the budget. Throwing out usable food is like throwing away money, so planning can play a huge role in reducing the impact on your wallet and on the environment. Making a shopping list and sticking to it, thinking about serving sizes, opening packets of chips and biscuits as you go rather than all at once, and storing and using leftovers are some of the best ways to combat both belly and bin bulge.
Another avoidable environmental impact is unwanted and unused presents. Last year we were expected to spend nearly $500 each on presents, many of which were never used. Think about how many presents you’ve received in your life that have been put in the back of the cupboard, never to see the light of day. Each one of those represented an investment in resources that was wasted. Buying presents in plenty of time can help avoid those last-minute panic buys, as does taking someone shopping or asking what they really need. Giving experiences, gift vouchers or donations are also great ways of reducing the likelihood of a present sitting in a cupboard unused.
We love Christmas at Planet Ark, so our Christmas wish this year is that our fellow Australians will undertake a few simple actions to reduce their impact on the environment and their pockets over the festive season.
Planet Ark’s The 12 DOs of Christmas includes tips for reducing food waste and excess packaging, buying green gifts, and recycling items like wrapping paper, foil, cartons, drink containers, plastic and cards as well as electronics and batteries.
We should consider this time of year as an opportunity to recycle even more. Just because consumption levels increase doesn’t mean that waste levels need to.
The 12 DOs of Christmas action sheet provides helpful tips to get started. Find it on RecyclingNearYou.com.au, Planet Ark’s comprehensive household recycling directory that lists recycling options by council area.
Brad Gray trained and worked as a history and geography teacher before moving into the health education sector for 14 years. With a strong passion for human environments, Brad started with Planet Ark in 2007 as Recycling Programs Manager before taking up the role of Head of Campaigns in 2010. Brad works with every team in the organisation to create positive and action-based programs designed to engage Australians with the environment. For more information on this topic, please visit www.makeitwood.org
HaroldC
January 7, 2014 at 7:06 am
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