Hunter Councils waste education regional coordinator Juliana Cain said the Small Acts Big Change campaign aims to motivate the community to take action to reduce their impact on the environment.

“Christmas is notorious for over indulging in food, and is also notorious for throwing away a huge amount of uneaten food, it is estimated we throw away 20 per cent of the total food we buy,” Ms. Cain said.

“Food waste can be avoided at Christmas time with careful menu planning, shopping to a list and utilising your leftovers.

“Wasting food has a huge impact on our environment, when we waste food we also waste the resources used to grow or produce food such as water and fuel for transport.

“If food is simply thrown away and sent to landfill it can release methane, which is a very dangerous gas and contributes to climate change.”

Other tips for reducing waste over Christmas include:

- Planning your menu this Christmas to make use of all your ingredients

- Visiting farmers markets to buy local produce, and only buy produce that is in season

- Looking up recipe ideas to use all those Christmas leftovers and freeze left-overs into individual portions for a quick, easy meal

- Digital subscriptions for magazines, newspapers, online books, online podcasts or digital music 

- Shopping smarter for gifts such as vouchers for local businesses such as restaurants, shops, nurseries, or a night away at a motel or resort.

See more at www.smallactsbigchange.com.au, and share your ‘small act’ on social media with the hashtag #smallactsbigchange.