The festive season is upon us, and the Christmas celebrations are in full swing. In just a few weeks time, we will likely be gathered around the table, perhaps enjoying a roast dinner, opening presents and enjoying time with friends and family. With the festivities happening all throughout December for many, there is bound to be an influx of waste throughout the entire month and even into the new year. Cromwell has a help guide to understand the types of waste produced and the ways it can be recycled or controlled.
Paper & Cardboard
Christmas is a season of giving, with presents and cards galore, this results in a lot of excess waste. Our beautifully wrapped and packaged gifts are a big culprit of rubbish, with paper and cardboard being one of the biggest sources of waste due to the leftover wrapping paper, Christmas cards and gift bags. Luckily for the most part, paper and cardboard is very easy to recycle and can be done so in our household recycling bins. However, there are a few exceptions and this is for any paper that contains glitter or sequins – in these instances, the decorative items are restricting it from being recycled, and as such the best end-of-life solution should be the general waste. It is not just glittered paper that needs special consideration, glossy or shiny paper also needs to be added to general refuse because of the coating being unrecyclable. The easiest way to sort recyclable from the not recyclable is to try the ‘Scrunch Test’, if your paper remains in shape after being compressed it can be recycled. To navigate this all together, we recommend buying recyclable paper only, avoid glittery or shiny paper.
Christmas lights
Whether on your Christmas Tree or decorating your home, Christmas lights will become warn and damaged over time, and disposal might be needed. Putting electrical items, even broken ones into the general waste can be highly dangerous, especially during transit and disposal. If your Christmas or fairy lights have reached the end of life, find an appropriate recycling centre.
Christmas Leftovers
We all like to indulge a little over the festive period and with lots of delicious delicacies on offer it can be hard to resist. The influx in food and treats comes with an increase in waste too, studies show that 1,315 tonnes of Christmas dinners are wasted every year. This may be a result of over-cooking or over-purchasing, the waste pile is an ever-mounting one. When dealing with food waste, they can be recycled in your food waste caddy if your local authority offers food waste collections. If you have your own composting pile, leftovers can also be placed here, or even given to a neighbour or frozen down to help prevent waste. We can however control it from the beginning by not over-purchasing – make a list and buy responsibly. By not buying more than you need, this will reduce the chances of excessive waste consumption.
Christmas Tree
If you opted for a real Christmas tree it is important to ensure it is recycled responsibly. Sadly it is common to see many decaying trees dumped and fly-tipped at the side of roads, in fields and even just outside our homes! You can contact your council or a local verified business to arrange a collection of your unwanted tree, or provide advice on drop-off points for correct disposal. More information can be found on the Recycle Now website. One way to avoid this completely is to buy a reusable plastic tree, which can be stored away each year.
The festive period is a truly magical time of year, but also a very wasteful one – talk to us at Cromwell for advice or products to help improve waste management over holidays and throughout the new year.