Happy sustainable Christmas!
Remember to be kind to the environment this Christmas by limiting wrapping and packaging, looking for preloved items for gifts through networks or charity shops, buying local and reducing food waste.
The EPA's Love Food Hate Waste program champions reusable fruit and veggie bags
Shop smart this Christmas
It’s easy to replace single-use plastic bags when buying your fresh produce with a reusable veggie bag. Be smart about saving money, food and the planet this Christmas and sign up to the Love Food Hate Waste Food Smart program. It’s free to join and easy to participate, plus you’ll receive a free kit full of fantastic food-saving goodies once the six-week program is completed.
Food saving tips
Whether you celebrate Christmas or simply enjoy taking time out during the festive holiday, it can often get busy and chaotic with all the preparations and activities going on which can result in a lot of food being thrown in the bin. Let’s give our food and our planet a little more thought.
Click here for some great Christmas food saving tips!
A gift within a gift!
Fabric remnants make great reusable Christmas gift bags
Use up fabric scraps and ribbons (or source some from the bargain bin) to make a bunch of reusable gift bags for your family to use for Xmas and birthdays. You’ll save on wrapping paper for the rest of your life!
There’s lots of potential designs, but the basic idea is to cut a rectangle of fabric, fold it over and turn it inside out, sew up the open sides then put a hem on the top. Attach a bit of ribbon on the outside of the bag 3cm from the top so it can be tied into a bow around the bag to make a neck.
Make a range of sizes for all imaginable presents. You can make them for your friends for ‘a gift within a gift’ and the environment says ‘thank you’!
You can also skip the plastic by using scraps to make everlasting festive bunting.
Bin your disposable masks but break the straps first to help our wildlife friends
Think of the environment when you unmask
Masks are an important part of protecting ourselves against COVID-19. However, many are not being disposed of properly and get blown away or washed into streams or rivers.
Of course, re-usable cloth masks are our environment’s best friend but if you need to discard disposable masks when you’re outside home please drop them in the bin or take them home with you if there’s no bin close by. And always remember to break the strap loops before throwing away. That way even if they’re in a bin or landfill, birds and other animals can’t get entangled in the elastic straps of face masks, preventing them from feeding or causing injuries.
Your actions will help make our waterways and surrounding environment clean and safe for everyone to enjoy!