Council offers recycling tips for festive season

Redlands Coast residents are encouraged to ensure they make the nice list this year when it comes to recycling and reducing waste during the festive season.

Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said the December to January period was traditionally the peak time for household waste generation.

“More than 5390 tonnes of household waste went to landfill from kerbside waste bins and Council’s recycling and waste centres in December 2021, and a further 5141 tonnes of household waste went into landfill in January this year,” Cr Williams said.

“This is up to 15 per cent more than the average monthly amount over the rest of the year.

“Christmas is a special time when families and friends come together to entertain and exchange gifts, but it is also a time when people generate a lot of waste with packaging materials and food scraps.

“Recent audits show that more than 12 per cent of what ends up in landfill from household red-lid waste bins could be recycled, so Council also is encouraging everyone to ensure they place their waste in the correct kerbside bins.”

Be creative when wrapping gifts to reduce waste over Christmas.

Cr Williams said recycling could start before Christmas by choosing items that have less packaging, meal planning, using alternatives to single-use wrapping paper and not over-buying.

“There are a number of resources available to help residents manage waste and recycling, so it becomes just another tradition to follow each Christmas,” she said.

“Council has an online A-Z guide of waste and recycling and there are apps available that can help people understand how to recycle correctly.”

Twelve tips for festive season recycling:

Stock up on rechargeable batteries and remember – batteries don’t belong in any bin. Wrapping paper can go in the yellow recycling bin, or keep it and reuse next year or for craft activities. Use Santa sacks or practice the art of furoshiki to reduce the amount of wrapping paper. Cardboard boxes and hard plastic packaging go in the recycling bin. Put Christmas cards in the recycling bin or cut up to make gift cards for next year. Tinsel, twine, ribbon and string can’t be recycled and need to go in your red-lid bin or reuse for future gifts. Polystyrene can be taken to the mainland recycling and waste centres for recycling. Cellophane and other soft plastics like bubble wrap cannot be recycled. Scrunch up aluminium foil covering leftovers to the size of your fist and put in your recycling bin. Empty bottles and cans go in the recycling bin, or take them to a Containers for Change refund point. Consider starting a compost bin or worm farm for food scraps. Consider buying a real tree this year instead of a plastic one.