Reduce waste, shop wisely this Easter

Stan Jewaskiewitz, president of the IWMSA says, "On festive occasions such as Easter, we tend to purchase items we really don't need and spend money we really don't have in order to placate ourselves and others around us.

"We feel obliged to buy into the commercialised racket that inevitably accompanies all our festivities. The human urge to celebrate and to give generously is strong and there is nothing amiss with that. However, if we stop buying into over-consumption, simply for the sake of keeping up appearances, we will be starting to change a mind-set that will eventually filter through to all areas of our lives and hopefully stand the whole planet in much greater stead in the long-term."

"As consumers, we can make a difference by voting with our Rands and paying greater attention to our purchases. With the economy still very much in recovery and the cost of living ever increasing, now is the time to take a good long look at ourselves and to make drastic changes in our wasteful behaviour.

"At Easter especially, our roads are congested: in addition to general waste, more fuel is consumed because people are travelling, often in a hurry due to the short holiday period. We develop a 'throw-away' mentality whilst trying to cram as much as possible into the long weekend; beaches and picnic areas are once again littered with all types of waste and there is an appalling excess of paper and plastic waste from a variety of visually appealing Easter 'over-packaging'.

"As intelligent consumers, we must pause to think about how we may be being duped into buying certain items and how everything we purchase requires some form of energy to produce, often non-renewable. The question must be asked, how can we continue to justify such profligate waste?

"IWMSA encourages people to give more thought to what will most please those around them this Easter. Perhaps it will simply be the company of family and friends! Let us be conscious in respect of our consumption and less hedonistic in our approach. We urge South Africans to think carefully about whether they need that extra package of Easter eggs and not to purchase items that will spoil if they are not used. At the very least, please remember to recycle whenever possible," concludes Jewaskiewitz.