Holidays can be festive occasions, but you may generate a large amount of waste when celebrating and having parties. Here you can learn about the '3R' concept (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle), and what you can do to reduce waste on festive occasions.

Holidays, especially festivals such as the Chinese New Year, the Mid-Autumn Festival and Christmas, are social occasions often spent with families and friends. But we also generate a great deal of waste without thinking about it, through shopping, gift giving and even eating and drinking. What we need to remember is the '3R' concept of reducing, reusing and recycling. With this simple idea in mind we can play our part in helping to save the environment even on the happiest days of the year.

The following tips will help you understand just how easy it is to apply the '3R' principle. All you have to do is think ahead. 

Reduce

• Take no more new bank notes and lai-see packets than necessary.
• Bring your own bags to reduce consumption of plastic shopping bags.
• Adopt simple packaging and minimize gift wrapping to avoid wastage of resources.
• Choose more durable products. Think twice before shopping to avoid purchasing unnecessary items and cause wastage.
• Send electronic greeting messages instead of paper greeting cards as the former can deliver the same message with less resource.
• Use reusable tableware during gatherings and parties and avoid excessive food.

Reuse

• Reuse lai-see packets and bank notes for lai-see.
• Store holiday decorations, such as plastic Christmas trees and ornaments for reuse in the following year. Good quality decorations could be reused many times.
• Donate unwanted gifts to needies through charitable organizations.

Recycle

• Separate all recyclable materials, such as metals, plastics, waste paper and other recyclables from waste stream and put them in recycling bins to facilitate recycling.

• Location of collection points
  http://www.wastereduction.gov.hk/en/quickaccess/vicinity.htm