Reduce waste this Christmas

Christmas and the holiday season generate a lot of waste – packaging from presents, wrapping paper and excess food.

Environment Waikato Sustainable Business Advisor Barnaby Smith is urging people to significantly reduce waste this Christmas.

“For any last minute gifts, the best principle is to buy local, fair trade or organic,” said Mr Smith. “Consider 'gifts which give twice' such as Oxfam’s unwrapped gift ideas (www.oxfamunwrapped.org.nz) which benefit third world communities.

“When buying goods, think about paying a little bit extra for higher-quality products – this way they’ll last longer.”

Mr Smith said when buying party supplies, consumers should try to ensure they purchase products with minimal or recyclable packaging.

“And most importantly, make sure the amount of food you buy is right for the numbers of guests. A third of all food purchased ends up in our landfills producing leachate and methane gas.”

To reduce wrapping waste, Mr Smith encouraged using newspaper or last year’s wrapping paper. “And remember to save this year’s wrapping so you can use it next year,” he said.

Following simple guidelines like these can ensure an enjoyable as well as low impact, low waste Christmas.