ALEX KIRKHAM

-TrashQueen

7. Planet Finska wooden games – littletrooper.co.nz, from $99

Giving someone an old-fashioned wooden garden game is a great way to bring people together on Christmas Day and over the summer to have fun in the fresh air. Planet Finska makes its games from timber that would otherwise be disposed of, or farmed timber that can be traced. It uses minimal packaging and keeps plastic to a minimum also. There are so many games to choose from and they can keep for years and years, creating lots of great memories.

8. Subs Jandals – subs.nz, from $33

While we all recognise that society produces and discards way too much plastic, and designing it out of our lives where possible is the ultimate goal, Subs, a great Kiwi company, is doing an awesome job at reusing what’s already there that we haven’t managed properly as a society. It turns discarded fishing nets and other plastics found in the ocean, plus commercial plastic wastes that are difficult to design out, such as hospital latex gloves, into really great jandals. They are priced well, and will actually last you more than one summer (personally tried and tested!) And when they do eventually break, as all jandals do, you can send them back for recycling into a new pair.

9. Sustainable clothing – nisa.co.nz, from $29

Sustainable, ethical clothing is so important. Wellington-based Nisa has a hierarchy of fabric selection, which is a great one to keep in mind – in order of priority – organic fabrics (organically grown cotton), then natural fabrics (hemp, linen, bamboo), regenerated or recycled fabrics, then as a last resort, synthetic fabrics such as virgin polyester or nylon only if unavoidable.