Overview
Head over to Aotea square to see over 5,000 recyclable plastic milk and soft drink bottles transformed into a sparkling forest, featuring a seven metre tall Christmas tree surrounded by 12 smaller two metre trees - the first ininstallation of its kind in New Zealand.
The aim of the Reclaimed Christmas Forest is to make people more aware of what they are throwing away this Christmas and holiday period, as New Zealand experiences around a 30% increase in waste sent to landfill around Christmas. A lot of the waste sent is actually recyclable materials like plastic and cardboard packaging from Christmas gifts, as well as packaging from the extra food and beverages we consume. Neither Mother Nature nor your beach body approves.
Should you wish to, you too can add your own recyclable plastic drink bottles to any one of the 12 two-metre trees in the Forest, with cable ties provided.
The initiative was inspired by Reclaim, an Auckland-based recyclables collection and sorting company that provides waste minimisation and collection services to Auckland Council offices and public facilities (including plastic bottles).