Ditch the egg-cess! 10 ways to enjoy a sustainable and eco-friendly Easter
Did you know Easter egg foil wrappers are 100% recyclable?
Rebecca Gilling, Deputy CEO, Planet Ark
Family feasts and chocolate are an integral part of Easter and with the arrival from the bunny only a few hops away, now is a great time to introduce some easy, sustainable ways to protect the planet.
From recycling your foil Easter eggs wrappers to fighting food waste, here are 10 ways you can and your family can be more sustainable this Easter.
1. Only use what you need
We often find ourselves using excess packaging that we simply don’t need, like buying fresh produce wrapped in soft plastic bags and using single-use plastic cutlery for takeaway meals. Avoid unnecessary single-use plastic where possible by mindfully assessing what you really need and what you don’t.
2. Find reusable solutions
Swapping non-recyclable products with sustainable alternatives has a big impact on the environment! Don’t forget your reusable cup for your morning coffee, straw lovers have lots of cool and colourful reusable options for their Easter table and remember to bring a reusable bag when you do your Easter shop.
3. Make a sustainable pledge
Set your family a sustainable challenge – like starting a soft plastics collection! Collect your soft plastics and drop them off at your local supermarket using a REDcyle bin so they can be recycled right.
There are many ways to reduce your family’s carbon footprint over the Easter break.
4. Recycle right
Recycle each part of your Easter packaging using the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL), and remember to check it before you chuck it every time you are at the bin:
-
- Easter egg foil – foil is made from aluminium which is 100% recyclable. Collect, scrunch into a golf ball sized-ball and recycle in your kerbside bin,
- Hot cross buns soft plastic wrapper – collect and return to your local Woolworths or Coles supermarket using a REDcycle bin,
- Cardboard – flatten and recycle in your kerbside bin.
5. Fight food waste
Plan ahead and cater for your group size, use all parts of your produce and take leftovers home with you. Make homemade pesto or sauce using garden herbs, leftover jars and takeaway containers, bake homemade hot cross buns or gingerbread using pantry staples.
Be sure to recycle all your packaging.
6. Choose products with packaging made from recycled materials
When we recycle right, we help to keep valuable materials in circulation so they can be used to make new products. By looking out for and buying products with packaging made from recycled materials at the supermarket, you can help to reduce the time and energy needed to collect raw materials to make new packaging from scratch.
7. Art attack
Get creative! Make sustainable decorations that reuse old clutter around the house, like creating an Easter Bunny basket using cardboard boxes and shredded paper.
8. Grow your own
Get your hands dirty! Separate the odds and ends of your leftover produce and plant them into small pots. Water and watch them grow. This a great activity for the kids and will teach them about where their food comes from. My favourites are spring onions and tomatoes!
9. Keep it local
Being sustainable can also include putting steps in place to reduce your carbon footprint. Stay local this Easter and take part in a fun, family-friendly community event in your area.
10. Compost
Make the most of your household food and garden waste by setting up a compost bin. This will help to fertilise your garden, balcony box or pot plants – not to mention keep the wildlife that lives there happy!
For more sustainable tips, and tricks to help you recycle right, visit Planet Ark.
