Christmas, while a joyous time for many, often comes with significant environmental costs due to excessive consumption and waste.
Gift waste: Millions of unwanted gifts end up in landfills each year. In Australia alone, over 20 million unwanted gifts are received annually.
Wrapping paper waste: Australians use over 150,000 kilometers of wrapping paper during the holiday season, much of which is non-recyclable due to plastic coatings or glitter.
Food waste: About 90% of Australians discard at least a quarter of their food during the festive season.
Energy consumption: Excessive use of Christmas lights and heating/cooling systems leads to increased energy consumption.
Travel-related emissions: Increased travel during the holiday season contributes to higher carbon emissions.
Christmas tree recycling
The partnership between Warrnambool Community Garden and Warrnambool City Council for Christmas tree recycling addresses several environmental concerns:
Waste reduction: By recycling trees into mulch, it diverts organic waste from landfills.
Resource conservation: Using the mulch on garden paths reduces the need for new materials.
Education: The initiative raises awareness about the importance of recycling and repurposing and encourages community participation in sustainable practices.
A drop-off point outside our gates will remain open for most of January. The council will provide the mulching services to break them down and we will use them to top up the paths around our site.
We can only accept natural Christmas trees, and all decorations and other materials must be removed.
This is a free service, we are glad to help recycle a useful resource into something that benefits our members and community visitors.
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