How to have a waste-free Easter

Published on 20 March 2024

Easter is a time when families and friends may get together, exchange chocolatey gifts and enjoy a meal.

Easter is also a time when we have a chance to reduce our waste. With a few simple ideas, and a little planning, you can make Easter as waste-free as possible.

Avoid food waste over the Easter weekend

If you are expecting guests over Easter, you will be preparing more food than usual.

Plan what you are going to cook over the Easter weekend and write a shopping list ahead of time. That way, you will not over-cater and buy more than you need.

Alternatively, share the cooking duties. Ask each guest to make their specialty dish to bring. Or ask each guest to prepare one course each. That way you won’t end up with three potato salads.

If you have food left over, make up Easter leftover packs for guests to take home or use them to prepare meals for your family after Easter. If you have leftover ingredients, use them to make new meals. Visit the Love Food Hate Waste website for ‘use it up’ inspiration.

Map out your Easter egg hunt

Easter egg hunts are a lot of fun, but sometimes we might forget where we hide all the eggs. If we plan first, our loved ones can find all the eggs and you can avoid Easter waste.

Who is in charge of the Easter egg hunt in your household? Ask them to draw a map (or even create a treasure map) of where they hide the eggs around the garden. That way, you can make sure your family finds all the eggs, which means no wasted chocolate. This will also help eliminate foil waste in your garden.

Recycle your Easter foil

Yes! Foil from Easter eggs and treats can be recycled, along with other aluminium products.

Scrunch your foil into a ball and gradually add to it until it becomes the size of a tennis ball. Then, put the foil ball into your blue-lidded mixed recycling bin so it can be recycled to make new aluminium products.

Challenge everyone in your household to see who can make the biggest foil ball this Easter! When you’re done, make your foil balls the size of a tennis ball before they go into your recycling bin.

Give experiences as Easter gifts

Do you and your family exchange gifts over Easter? You can reduce the number of items you give by gifting experiences instead of physical presents. Experiences like movie vouchers or restaurant cards will help reduce the risk of giving unwanted items.

Consider DIY cards, reusable wrapping and homemade decorations

If you exchange Easter gifts and cards, consider using reusable wrapping. Try wrapping gifts in decorative tea towels, cloth napkins or reusable bags. Then, tie the gift up with a reusable ribbon. This will avoid creating single-use waste at the same time.

Make bespoke Easter cards and decorations for the house by using items around the home like printer paper, cardboard, and recyclable craft supplies.

You can also make a bouquet for the table using flowers and branches from your garden. This means you avoid buying items made from plastic, glitter and other materials that will end up in landfill.

More waste-saving tips

Council hosts waste-free workshops throughout the year. Visit Council’s workshops page to learn more or sign up to the Waste & Sustainability e-newsletter for the latest updates and waste-saving tips.