DURBAN - WHILE Santa may appreciate the milk and cookies left out for him, you may want to rethink how you discard the carton and plastic the goodies were packaged in.
Every festive season, hundreds of thousands of tons of waste is generated, and not all ends up being recycled.
During 2015/2016 festive season, eThekwini Municipality’s Durban Solid Waste (DSW) department collected 930 297 tons of waste from the beachfront and surrounds.
In the UK, the Wildlife and Countryside Link, an association of conservation organisations, said on Christmas morning more than 114 000 tons of plastic packaging would be dumped rather than recycled. That equates to 5kg per household, which increases according to the number of children in the household.
The president of the Institute of Waste Management (IWMSA), Jan Palm, said: “Unfortunately, southern Africa is running out of landfill space and so we all have a responsibility to be waste-wise by correctly sorting and disposing of our waste. Be waste-wise this festive season by considering alternative ways to dispose of unwanted gifts and food.”
Palm had these tips:
Find a charity that is collecting food
Look for a non-profit organisation in your area that is collecting and redistributing food. A handy website is www.giveback.co.za or
“There are many people less fortunate than ourselves who would love to enjoy eating delicious leftovers. So instead of throwing them away, call ahead to a charity and ask if they would appreciate receiving your leftover food. When you take time to do this and the simple act of helping others will be most rewarding. The added bonus is that the extra food doesn’t end up in your rubbish bin.”
Give food parcels to homeless people
“There are many people who live on the street, who spend their days begging on the side of the road and often go to sleep hungry. Christmas Day isn’t any different. Why not take leftover food from your Christmas meal and give it to the underprivileged people in your community? An alternative is to take your leftover food to the nearest police station or hospital where you can treat the staff who are hard at work over the holiday period. It’s a nice way of thanking them for the valuable work they do.”
Compost your food waste
Create your own compost to spread in your garden using uncooked fresh produce like vegetable peels. You can add egg shells, teabags and coffee granules to your compost bin. “Remember to combine grass clippings and leaves, not forgetting to turn the material to allow air in, which will help it to break down quicker. There are numerous benefits to composting organic waste as it produces mulch, soil amendments and organic fertilisers.
"You can take composting a step further by building your own worm farm to make the richest organic fertiliser for your garden. Worm farms are odourless and don’t take up a lot of space, and therefore you can keep it inside. For an easy guide to building your own worm farm, visit http://bit.ly/2i0ImMa.
Give away unwanted gifts
“Perhaps the trinkets in your Christmas cracker could be given to children who wouldn’t normally receive toys at Christmas? Or donate clothing you have received but don’t want to a charity."
Return and exchange gifts you don't want
Consider returning gifts and request a refund or exchange.
“Set a trend in your family and encourage others to cross out prices on gifts, but leave tags on so they can be returned if the receiver doesn’t want them. It's a simple way to ensure gifts don’t go to waste.”
Give gifts in reusable bags
“Using gift bags instead of wrapping paper and sticky tape makes environmental sense, because there’s no need to drop off paper at a recycling depot. A gift bag can easily be folded flat and stored away, ready for next Christmas.”
Be ready to collect wrapping paper for recycling
“Everyone has a tradition of opening gifts with friends and family, be it on Christmas Eve, first thing on Christmas Day or when friends arrive. Get ready to collect as much wrapping paper for recycling by having a large bag close to hand. Encourage the younger children to be Santa’s little helpers and make a game of collecting all the paper so it ends up in your recycling bag or bin.
“We encourage everyone to approach this Christmas with the mindset of a waste-wise warrior, by diverting waste away from landfills,” he said.