Council is encouraging everyone to keep waste and sustainability in mind when enjoying the festive season.

For many people, Christmas involves food and presents. With some forward planning, you can make some big savings on your wallet and the waste you generate.

Some handy tips for reducing food waste at home over Christmas are:

• Plan your meals. Reduce stress and waste by writing up a detailed plan of what you will need for your special meal and how much.
• Reuse your Christmas staples. Turkey, ham, seafood and vegetables can be used up in sandwiches, quiches, stir-fries and casseroles.
• Watch portion sizes. We all love to be generous during the festive season but remember to keep portions in mind when planning lunches or dinners.
• Store your food correctly and freeze what you can. Store your leftovers in airtight plastic containers to keep them fresh. Keep them at the top of your fridge so they are in your eye line and helps you to remember what needs using up.

Mayor Cr Mark Reeves said Christmas festivities can create pressure to ‘go big’ each year, but scaling back is a growing trend.

“This doesn’t mean not supporting our local businesses and attractions who are looking forward to the Christmas rush. But there may be a few small, easy changes you can make to reduce waste and help the environment while still having a great time,’ Cr Reeves said.

Other ways to help the environment this festive season are:

• Avoid Christmas lights or use energy-efficient LED lights.
• Consider whether you need Christmas crackers, which are enjoyed for a very short period of time. Perhaps you can start another tradition with items that can be reused next year.
• To save paper by sending electronic Christmas cards and using recycled wrapping paper.
• Make your own eco-friendly decorations inspired by nature using branches, fallen leaves, burlap etc.
• Compost your leftovers or make a worm farm.
• Put out a separate bin for recyclable items while entertaining.

You and your family and friends may agree having a circular economy Christmas by buying presents secondhand or products made from recycled materials.

If you don’t have much luck with secondhand gifts, have a conversation with your loved ones about what they would really like to receive.

This way you will guarantee your gifts will be appreciated and used, rather than ending up in the waste stream.

And as an added bonus, it also makes shopping a whole lot easier.

Council’s household waste collection will continue as normal over the Christmas New Year period.

Please place your bins out the night before you collection. To find your bin day, visit our Bin Collection page.

Landfills and waste transfer stations are open as normal, except Christmas Day (closed).

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