Reduce your Christmas waste

Did you know that Christmas and New Year produces an extra three million tonnes of waste each year?

In the UK, over the festive period, we use around:

one billion Christmas cards
83 square kilometres of wrapping paper
750 million extra glass bottles and containers
500 million extra drinks cans
eight million real Christmas trees.

So, this year, why not have a 'greener' Christmas by following these simple tips?

Reduce your waste

avoid using disposable items such as plastic cups, paper plates or serviettes if you're having a party
send electronic cards to your friends and family, as most Christmas cards can't be recycled in your blue bin because they contain glitter or other decorations
take a reusable shopping bag with you when you do your Christmas shopping
buy vouchers for friends and family so they can exchange them for something they'll definitely want, or try one of our green gift suggestions
use energy efficient LED lights on your Christmas tree to reduce your carbon usage
don’t buy more food than you need to and turn your leftovers into new meals. Visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com for helpful hints and recipes.

Reuse old or unwanted items

buy a reusable Christmas tree as it will you save money in the long term and reduce your waste as well
buy rechargeable batteries for any electrical gifts you buy or receive
save leftover cards and wrapping paper for next year
turn old Christmas cards into gift tags
donate any unwanted gifts to charity shops who can sell your items on to people who need them.

Recycle what you can

buy a home composter and turn your leftovers into compost for your garden
if you're buying a real Christmas tree, recycle it at one of our recycling centres
recycle your glass bottles and jars at one of our many bottle banks
use your blue bin or kerbside recycling box to recycle as much of your waste as possible.