Christmas is a time for giving gifts to our loved ones, sharing a feast, and decorating the house and garden.
With that comes a lot of packaging and a little bit of waste. So how do you minimise the impact and care for the environment as well?
Corangamite Shire Council Waste and Sustainability Officer Jess Maxwell had some handy tips.
"Gift wrapping paper and paper or cardboard decorations often have a waxed or plastic coating that we need to be more careful with. Recyclers do not want paper coated in plastic or wax in the recycling and are now rejecting coffee cups and milk cartons. If it's 100% paper, it can go in the recycling bin. If you're not sure, it's safer to put it in the red bin. Small pieces of paper should go in the red bin too.
"Toy packaging often has a plastic window to show the product inside. The cardboard can go in the recycling bin if it's not coated with plastic or wax, but please separate the plastic window and put it in the red bin so it doesn't contaminate the recyclables.
Ms Maxwell said crushing cans and flattening boxes would help fit more in the bin when gift packaging mounts up.
"If you have the traditional turkey and ham for Christmas Dinner, the bones and scraps can go in you green-lid FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) bin," Ms Maxwell said.
"Prawn heads and crayfish shells can go in there too. If you're worried about the smell, you can keep them in the fridge or freezer and put them in the bin when you put it out for collection.
"Wooden skewers and toothpicks can go in the FOGO bin too. It will all break down in the composting process.
Due to the public holidays on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day, all transfer stations and Corangamite Regional Landfill at Naroghid will be closed on Sunday 25 and Monday 26 December and Sunday 1 January 2023.
"As the major holidays fall on Sundays this year, there will be no changes to the kerbside collection," Ms Maxwell said.
