Celebrate a waste-free festive season this summer with these top tips to protect the environment and keep Auckland beautiful.
Bin it right
The easiest tip for a Zero Waste festive season is to make good use of your kerbside recycling and food scraps bins.
Remember, with the new recycling standards introduced this year, to only recycle grocery packaging containers made from plastic with the numbers 1, 2, 5 (check the package for the number), glass and metal, as well as flattened cardboard and paper. It helps a lot if you empty and rinse your containers before placing them loose into your recycling bin. No plastic bags and no lids please, as they get caught in the sorting machinery.
When you use your food scraps bin and avoid throwing the scraps in the rubbish, you’re making sure they are transformed for good. Instead of going to landfill where they emit harmful greenhouse gases of methane and carbon dioxide, your food scraps are turned into renewable energy and liquid fertiliser.
So far, 30,000 tonnes from Auckland’s food scraps bins have helped to produce even more kai by farmers and growers. Ka rawe!
(Bonus tip: don’t miss a collection - check changes to your kerbside collections day during the holidays at Find your rubbish, recycling, and food scraps collection day (aucklandcouncil.govt.nz).
Chill out don’t throw out
More food is thrown out during the festive season than any other time because people tend to over-cater during the holidays. To help you avoid wasting good food, Love Food Hate Waste is running the Chill Out campaign from 4 November to 30 November. They will be sharing a huge range of tips and advice that will save you food and money. Find out more on their website or follow them on their socials.
Start a Zero Waste hobby
Start a worm farm or give composting a go – The Compost Collective has workshops, how-to-videos and resources to get you started, and advice on the right composting method that works for your lifestyle. And for anything that you may not be able to compost, like bones or shellfish, there’s your friendly food scraps bin.
Visit your local community recycling centre
Whether you’re looking for unique upcycled holiday gifts or have a creative holiday project, you are bound to find something special at your local community recycling centre.
If your holiday project is a clear out, then you may be able drop off items at your local centre. You can also visit aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/whereitgoes for options of where to take almost anything. The search tool provides you with places where you can take your items to be reused, repurposed, recycled or, if necessary, disposed of.
Pack in, pack out
When you’re out and about enjoying summer in our wonderful regional parks, beaches, and the Hauraki Gulf Islands, remember to take your own reusable cups, plates and cutlery and bring any waste home so you can sort it correctly into your kerbside bins.
For even more ideas, check out practical tips for a waste-less Christmas.
Together, we can enjoy our summer holidays in beautiful Tāmaki Makaurau and stay on track for Zero Waste by 2040.
