The summer holidays are a time of celebration, which means lots of food and drink. Australians throw away 3.1 million tonnes of edible food a year!^[1] However, to keep bins empty and wallets and tummies full, all that’s needed is a little planning and know-how!

Beverage busting

• Recycle your festive drink containers and recoup some costs. Many states (SA,NT,NSW,QLD) now have container deposit schemes where soft drink, flavoured milk, water and beer bottles, cartons and cans are accepted for recycling with a 10c refund.
• Choose products with recyclable packaging, such as Tetra Pak milk and juice cartons. RecyclingNearYou will show you what’s recyclable wherever you are these holidays. 
• Buying bulk size drink containers for a party can save on packaging and money.
• Water from the tap is just as good as buying in a bottle but has 100% less packaging.

Food smart

• Plan ahead with shopping lists and meal plans so you don’t buy more than you need. Look for products with the Australasian Recycling Label on pack so your family knows what can be recycled.
• If your eyes are bigger than your belly don’t throw out the left overs. Put food in reusable containers and freeze or refrigerate for another day.
• Get inventive looking up recipes with the food you have available. Or find someone in your community who may benefit from your bounty.
• Fruit and veggie scraps can be composted or put in a worm farm, maybe set one up over the holidays if you don’t have one or find a community compost in your area using the Sharewaste app.
• Looking to reduce your environmental impact via the food you eat over summer? Try some meat-free Christmas recipes.
• If you're planning to entertain at home using products like Nespresso coffee or Sodastream, be sure to make use of their recycling schemes. Find out where to recycle your coffee capsules.

Work partying

• Ensure the right signs and bins are accessible.
• Check out our ideas for mindful catering in the workplace.
• Find out how to go 'Nude with Food' at work.

The right tree

Picking the right tree for your Christmas can be confusing and difficult. If you are having trouble, check out our guide to choosing an eco-friendly Christmas tree.

Who can help?

• RecyclingNearYou
• Container Deposit Schemes
• Nespresso
• Australasian Recycling Label
• Business Recycling
• OzHarvest
• Kind Christmas

[1] http://www.environment.gov.au/protection/waste-resource-recovery/food-waste