But being green doesn’t necessarily mean we cannot have fun, and with a few conscious decisions we can transform celebrations into stylish eco-friendly occasions. 

By simply crossing those disposable plastic plates and cups off the shopping list you can make a positive impact.

Using real plates is the best option but not always possible. Palm or bamboo tableware and biodegradable cups, which can be composted after use, are a great alternative, and stylish party décor such as fabric bunting and paper chains can be re-used time and again. 

The message, particularly as we get into National Recycling Week in November, is of course reduce, re-use and recycle where possible.

As we approach Christmas – or as I like to refer to it – ‘Wastemas’, the great food feast for the year, Australians are tipped to spend an incredible $12 billion-plus on food.

When you consider that around 25 per cent of the food we purchase is wasted, that amounts to a lot of money. That even takes into account National Leftovers Day on Boxing Day.

It is great to know that there are good options for dealing with food waste – even for very large events like the Melbourne Cup Carnival where a lot of the leftover catering goes to Secondbite.

What can we do to fix that problem:

There are plenty of options for leftovers including making pasta dishes, fried rice, omelettes or frittatas made from leftover vegetables and eggs, sub salad rolls using leftover cold meat and homemade pizza using leftovers as toppings.