You may enjoy a brightly wrapped egg for a few moments before throwing it to the side while you stuff your face full of chocolate, but that wrapper comes with a cost to other people and the planet that may make your foil-wrapped Easter egg taste bittersweet.
You may enjoy a brightly wrapped egg for a few moments before throwing it to the side while you stuff your face full of chocolate, but that wrapper comes with a cost to other people and the planet that may make your foil-wrapped Easter egg taste bittersweet.
Here’s what you can do with the waste (and how to make Easter sustainable next year).
Finally, the hot cross buns that have sat prematurely on supermarket shelves since what feels like January are validated. As Easter hops up on us, homes across the country are filled with the familiar rustle of foil-wrapped chocolate eggs, a seasonal staple. But have you ever paused to consider the journey of your shiny wrappers, from production to disposal?
Where does Easter egg foil come from?
Let’s start from the beginning. The shiny, colourful foil that encases those chocolate Easter eggs is made from aluminium. One of the most abundant metals in the earth’s crust, it’s sourced from bauxite ore.
I cannot confirm where the foil covering your personal favourite eggs is produced – retailers don’t usually share this information – but the world’s largest aluminium producers are currently China, Russia, India, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and our neighbours over in Australia.
The shiny, colourful foil that encases those chocolate Easter eggs is made from aluminium. Photo / 123RF
You may enjoy a brightly wrapped egg for a few moments before throwing it to the side while you stuff your face full of chocolate, but that wrapper comes with a cost to other people and the planet that may make your foil-wrapped Easter egg taste bittersweet.
Deforestation, soil erosion, water contamination, fossil-fuelled energy-intensive smelting processes, displacement of local communities and labour exploitation are just a few of the social and environmental concerns in the mining industry.
Unfortunately, the complexity of aluminium’s global supply chain makes it nearly impossible for you to guarantee that the material wrapped around your Easter eggs was mined ethically. Even the most well-intentioned companies making ethical fair-trade chocolate are usually unable to know the full story behind their aluminium.
Can you put easter egg foil in your recycling bin?
Moving on to the next stage of an Easter egg foil’s life, once it has been transported to Aotearoa New Zealand and fulfilled its purpose in housing your delicious egg, and you’ve eaten all the chocolate, you need to make a decision about what to do with it.
But just because it can be infinitely recycled doesn’t mean it always is. The foil must end up in the right place.
Aluminium can be recycled infinitely without losing any quality. Photo / 123RF
In the past, you may have collected all your aluminium foil to make a large ball for your kerbside recycling bin. But since the recycling updates released on February 1, things have changed. This is no longer A-plus student behaviour.
According to current requirements, your kerbside recycling must not contain aluminium foil; no matter the size or format.
There are several reasons why.
Aluminium foil’s lightweight nature and malleability are two of its greatest properties, but when it comes to kerbside mixed recycling, these qualities let it down. Because aluminium is so light and bitsy, it can damage the machines which sort recycling and contaminate other waste streams.
Also, although I find it hard to believe anyone would refrain from licking their aluminium foil clean, food residue is also an ongoing issue for recycling systems, and may also contribute to this restriction.
So what can you do with it?
Luckily for us, kerbside bins are only one recycling solution. Use this map to find a local metal recycler near you. If your Easter egg wrappers are clean and uncontaminated, it’s likely they’ll happily accept them.
Make your own Easter eggs at home with the family. Photo / 123RF
Beyond foil foibles, how else can you have a more mindful Easter?
In case this story has put you off Easter altogether, please know I’m not trying to be the Grinch who shows up during Easter. There are so many ways to celebrate Easter sustainably.
Create your own environmentally mindful traditions.
Host a potluck dinner with friends and challenge them to make vegetarian meals only.
Decorate your house with garlands made from crispy autumn leaves.
Make your own Easter eggs at home with the family; choose ingredients from package-free stores and wrap your eggs in upcycled materials like tissue paper, fabric scraps and cardboard, or simply pop them in a beautifully decorated repurposed egg carton.
If you’re not the type to risk having a DIY Easter egg disaster, focus your efforts on supporting fairly made chocolate; the Wellington Chocolate Factory offers double-dipped chocolate marshmallow goodness, Ocho makes chocolate bunnies in Dunedin, and Foundry Chocolate is your go-to for a classic miniature chocolate egg. Choosing craft “bean-to-bar” chocolate is the best way to ensure you’re supporting an ethical supply chain during Easter, and the chocolate will be of a much higher quality too.
Easter is a time to instil traditions and memories with your family, and taking away some less ethical elements doesn’t mean taking away the joy! Choose one thing to change this Easter and consider what you can do in future years. Every environmentally friendly decision you make, no matter how big or small, is egg-cellent.
