Recycling is more vital than ever at Christmas, with so much extra waste. According to an article about Christmas packaging by GWP, an extra 30% of rubbish is produced and discarded throughout the festive period when compared with the rest of the year. It’s easy to overlook the importance of disposing of waste correctly during the busy festive period. We have some useful tips for you to have an eco-friendlier Christmas this year.
Cards and wrapping paper
Everyone loves a sparkly and shiny Christmas card, unfortunately, a lot of these cards and wrapping paper feature glitter or foil material that can’t be recycled. It’s always better to buy cards or gift wrap without glitter and shine. If your gift wrap is glossy or laminated or has decorative ribbons, it should be disposed of in the general waste bin. When you’re not sure you can do a scrunch test, if the wrapping stays scrunched up, this usually means it’s made of recyclable materials. Any alternative wrapping paper that is recyclable will be your perfect first step to help the environment.
Food waste
We know it’s easy to forget about food recycling during our dinner parties and festivities. We hope this can remind you to always make sure to use your caddy to store your food waste. Also, remove any cling film, foil or wrapper that’s left in the food waste. If you clean your food packaging or containers well, you can dispose of them in the recycling bin.
Christmas lights
When it’s time to take down your Christmas decoration, you may want to throw away your old Christmas lights. If your Christmas lightings have a plug, use batteries, need charging or have a picture of a crossed-out wheelie bin, you can recycle them at household waste recycling centres. A good idea is to donate them to any of your local charities so instead of throwing them out, you can light up someone’s day this Christmas.
Merry Christmas from the team at EKO Home.
