Recycle and avoid non-biodegradable products/packaging

How about putting a sign on your bin that says "LANDFILL" - helps to remind everyone just where it all the non-recyclable or non compostable packaging goes.

Next time your in the supermarket or fruit and veg shop, unwrap produce from its unnecessary plastic packaging and explain why you would like leave it at checkout or in the produce department. If enough people let stores know they don't want to buy over packaged products they might start to get the hint..

Check out your local organic food shop. They usually sell food stuffs in bulk and you have to bring your own container. It's great.

Down here in Christchurch we need plastics other than 1&2 to be collected for recycling
Organic bulk food is best where u bring your own containers, don't forget Bin Inn too for bulk food - no packaging

It's a good idea to write to companies asking them to consider eco-friendly packaging. It's also a good idea to copy such letters to the New Zealand Packaging Council (see http://www.packaging.org.nz/).

Also worth doing: If you have a (clean!) example of non-eco-friendly packaging, put it in an envelope and send it, with an accompanying letter, to:

Hon Trevor Mallard
Minister for the Environment
Parliament Buildings
WELLINGTON

(no stamp required)

In your letter, ask the Minister to contact the manufacturer and request that they make their packaging more eco-friendly. If you can get a few friends to send similar letters, without them appearing to be form letters, the Ministry for the Environment may in fact follow this up with the manufacturers. (Make sure these letters don't have identical wording.)

Allow 2-3 months for the Minister (in reality the Ministry) to reply before following up with a query letter. When the Minister does reply, don't send a follow-up letter on the same topic unless you have significant new information - "serial letter-writers" tend to get short shrift from Ministry officials.

Cheers
Tim Jones

i just emailed a nz food manufacturer and asked them to consider recyclable packaging - thanks for the great idea! its quite addictive - i'm going to check out the packaging of the products i buy and email more companies!!!

It is definately not very difficult for companies to use recyled paper for product packaging. However this option tends to be little more expensive. Hence generally avoided.
We as consumers can play a big role. Try actively to buy products with lesser packaging. Request more and more companies to use recycled paper packaging.
Writing to the minister is a very good idea too.

ive found it really difficult to find information on what can or can not be reycycled in specific areas. does anyone know wehre i can get that for epsom?

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