Dreaming of a green Christmas
Whilst we are all busy thinking about presents and festive food over the coming days, Devon residents are also being asked to try and remember to recycle and re-use where ever possible.
Wrapping paper, cardboard, bottles and even christmas trees can all be recycled or taken to recycling centres. In many areas, a collection service for Christmas trees will make sure those trees are taken for chipping and composting.
Unwanted fake trees can be passed on to someone else via reuse sites such as Freegle, Freecycle or sold via Gumtree, Preloved, Amazon or Ebay or taken to your local Household Waste Recycling Centre.
Real trees can be shredded and composted at home or put out for collection via your local council click here to see if your council provides this service or taken for composting to your nearest Household Waste Recycling Centre click here to see where your nearest Centre is.
It's also a time of year when many of us tend to over-indulge but did you know that the average UK family throws away an average of £60 worth of food a month? That’s £720 a year which could be spent on presents for next Christmas!
The Love Christmas Hate Waste campaign aims to encourage us to shop and spend wisely, to meal plan and to use leftovers to try and cut down on the amount we throw away.
The campaign, run by Don’t let Devon go to waste, features Yuletide recipes and Christmas and New Year tips for reducing and reusing waste at the recycle for Devon website.
With a mass of new gifts being given and received this Christmas, there are bound to be clear outs of old furniture, clothing, tired models of equipment and other items that have been replaced by the new gifts you have received. Unwanted items can be passed on to someone else via reuse sites such as Freegle, Freecycle or sold via Gumtree, Preloved, Amazon or Ebay or taken to your local Household Waste Recycling Centre.
Don’t forget that you can recycle your Christmas cards From 2-31st of January at specially marked Christmas card recycling bins in most Marks & Spencer stores. For every 1000 Christmas cards brought into store, Marks and Spencer will plant a tree with the Woodland Trust. Or you could give some of your Christmas cards a new lease of life by cutting them up to make gift tags for next Christmas.
When recycling old wrapping paper after Christmas please remove any sticky tape and remember that many shiny / metallic papers might not be recyclable but can be saved and reused for next year.
Cabinet member with responsibility for waste, Cllr Roger Croad said: "An enormous amount of extra waste is produced at this time of year, packaging, wrapping, plastic, additional bottles and so on so it's important we dispose of it responsibility. Devon residents have proved to be great recyclers and I'm sure this year will be no exception. With the opening of a new recycling centre in Sidmouth recently, our waste facilities in Devon are improving every year, making it easier and more convenient to get rid of all that extra Christmas rubbish."
For more information about recycling centre opening hours and help and tips, go here
