Your Guide To A Low Waste Christmas

Treading lightly and nourishing gently has been part of Natio's ethos from the very beginning, but we're always learning and looking for ways to do better. As part of our commitment to sustainability, we've partnered with Reground to help us better understand and manage our internal waste streams.

Reground are waste management experts who work with businesses like ours to uncover the full picture of our environmental impact, so we can do better and turn today's waste into tomorrow's resources. They recently shared this beautiful guide with our staff on how to celebrate a low waste Christmas, it inspired us so much that we simply had to share it with you.

Reground’s guide to a low waste festive season

Each year, Australians throw out around 7.6 million tonnes of food. And while that is a year-round problem, CSIRO reports that total household waste increases by up to thirty percent during the Christmas period. Most of this extra waste comes from buying more than we need including perfectly good food that we simply do not get to in time.

The good news is that a little planning goes a long way. With a few small habits, you can enjoy every celebration and keep waste to a minimum.

One of the most helpful tools that guides our work at Reground is the waste hierarchy, which shows the order of actions that have the biggest impact: avoiding, minimising, reuse, recycling, and finally landfill as a last resort.

Here’s how to keep all the joy (and ditch the waste) this festive season 

Avoid 

• The best waste is the waste we never create. 
• Plan portions so you only buy what will actually be eaten. 
• Skip the last minute “just in case” shop as it’s one of the biggest contributors to thrown-out food. 
• Check use by dates so everything you buy fits your schedule. 
• And for gifting? Skip the guesswork. Ask people what they actually want.   
• If you love the surprise element of gifting, experiences make brilliant gifts for those hard to buy for. 
  

Minimise 

• When avoiding is not possible, the next best step is to reduce how much you buy. 
• Choose ingredients that work across multiple dishes. 
• Keep wrapping simple so you’re not buying materials that will immediately become rubbish. 
• Serve smaller portions first - everyone can go back for seconds (and let’s be honest, our eyes are often bigger than our belly at Christmas time). 

Reuse 

• This is where creativity comes to life. 
• Turn leftovers into something new. Use an AI tool to generate a recipe from whatever you have in the fridge. Have fun with it! 
• Freeze extra meals or ingredients before they spoil. 
• Save gift bags, ribbons and sturdy wrapping. Be the thrifty friend who values the environment over brand new packaging.  

Recycle 

• Recycling still matters, it just comes later in the hierarchy.  
• Clean cardboard, glass and cans can go straight into your yellow recycling bin. 
• Avoid buying soft plastics and mixed materials where possible, as most local councils cannot recycle them. 
• Simple paper wrapping is the easiest material to recycle. 
• Take your drink cans to your local Container Deposit Scheme drop off point.

And remember, small acts add up. 
Even one or two changes can make a big impact during the festive season. 

___  

Thank you to Reground for sharing this thoughtful guide with us. We hope it inspires you to celebrate a little more mindfully this year – whether that’s by reducing food waste, rethinking gift wrapping or finding creative ways to reuse what you already have. Small changes really do add up and every effort counts!  

Want to learn more about sustainability at Natio? Visit our recycling page to discover how to recycle your Natio empties, and learn about our carbon offsetting program to see how we’re working towards a lighter footprint.