December 18th 2012

Christmas is a great time to recycle

It’s the afternoon of Christmas and you are surrounded by wrapping paper, packaging from opened presents and cards that soon will need to find a new home. So what to do with all that Christmas material? You could just throw it out, or you could recycle or reuse it.

It’s business as usual for Hastings District Council recycling services over the Christmas/New Year holiday period. If Tuesday (Christmas Day/ New Years Day) is your normal recycling day, just put the material out as normal because the recycling service will operate on both of those special days. Remember, should your rubbish day fall on Christmas or New Years Day your collection will be held the next day.

The holidays are some of the busiest days of the year for recycling operators, as they cope with a massive increase in drink cans, fizzy drink containers and bottles.

Waste Minimisation Officer Dominic Salmon says “Servicing of the recycling bins around the district has been doubled over the holiday period. The recycling centre in Martin Place, Havelock North will continue to operate 24/7 while the Henderson Road Recycling Centre will be open every day except Christmas day and New Years day.

Mr Salmon does offer a warning to those who are recycling over the holidays. “If the recycling bin you want to use is full, don’t just leave the material on the roadside in the hope that someone will come along and tidy it up. Council will be emptying the bins regularly and leaving your recycling anywhere but in the bins is considered littering.”

So, what to do with that paper that is lying all over the floor after the Christmas unwrapping. You could fold the larger pieces and use them for wrapping gifts throughout the year. The smaller pieces could be used to make tags for next year’s Christmas gifts.

Dominic Salmon says “Recycling is simple and doesn’t take a lot of time. Recycling or reusing your unwanted material at Christmas could be the start of a family recycling campaign that will last throughout the year.”

Once the festive celebrations have finished, don’t forget to recycle your Christmas tree by placing it in the green waste area at Councils refuse transfer station; all old trees will be recycled into compost to keep you garden thriving into 2013.
ends

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>