Have a green Christmas

The festive period is traditionally one of the busiest times of the year for refuse and recycling. Whether it’s cards, wrapping paper, cardboard, trees or simply leftovers from the Christmas meal, we all produce a lot more waste.

According to new figures, approximately 6,365 tonnes of extra waste will be generated by households in Wiltshire this Christmas.

But while the county may not get a white Christmas - residents can certainly make it a green one.

The kerbside black box collection is most people’s first stop when it comes to recycling. Residents are being reminded to check how their black box collections may be affected by the Christmas and New Year holiday period. Remember, if you can’t fit all your recyclables into your black box, you put can excess materials alongside the box and they will still be taken away.

A leaflet is being delivered by Hills Waste Solutions Ltd on behalf of Wiltshire County Council to residents who receive the black box recycling service in north and west Wiltshire and Salisbury. It lets people know what changes there might be because of the bank holidays. It also includes reminders on what can be recycled. There are details on the Household Recycling Centres (HRCs). These will be open as usual except for the afternoon of Christmas Eve and all of Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

The leaflet should be delivered before Christmas. If anyone has queries about recycling they can ring the helpline on 0845 603 2085 or visit www.recycleforwiltshire.com.

Residents in Kennet will receive a different information leaflet on recycling over Christmas from their district council. Kennet residents who need more information can ring 01380 724911 or visit www.kennet.gov.uk.

To try and reduce those 6,365 tonnes of extra waste there are several steps people can take.

• When shopping, avoid goods which involve unnecessary packaging or materials that cannot be recycled.
• Consider buying presents that are environmentally friendly or produced in a sustainable way.
• If you’re not sure what to buy, why not give money or gift vouchers?
• Buy local products from shops or markets. Local products tend to have much less packaging and have less of an impact on the environment as they have not been transported long distances. It also helps the local economy.
• Use re-chargeable batteries rather than disposables and buy a battery re-charger
• Don’t over-stock with food. The average house throws out £424-worth of unwanted food each year. Planning carefully will save you pounds all round.
• Wrapping paper should not be put out with other paper for recycling as it is not of good enough quality. Buy recyclable paper and use string or ribbon to wrap the present or use re-useable gift bags instead of paper.

Here are some ways of recycling the waste we do produce over Christmas.

• If you get new clothes for Christmas then make room for them by taking your unwanted clothes to a recycling site or charity shop. Or put them in your black box?
• A home composting bin will take most uncooked food waste while a food waste digester will take all food waste, including meat, bones, fish and dairy. To get subsidised prices go to www.recycleforwiltshire.com
• The Woodland Trust has announced that people will be able to recycle their Christmas cards at all WH Smith high street stores and all major Tesco stores across the UK from January 2-31. Christmas cards can also be recycled at HRCs along with other cardboard.
• You can get your old Christmas tree shredded at your nearest HRC and it will be taken away and turned into compost.
• Cardboard packaging from presents can be taken to your nearest HRC as well as to some bring sites.

To find out where your nearest bring site is or to get extra information on the HRCs log on to www.recycleforwiltshire.com

Toby Sturgis, Wiltshire County Council’s cabinet member for planning and waste, said: “We all know Christmas is an expensive time but it doesn’t have to cost the Earth.

“Buying items made from reusable materials and recycling those we do not need all helps minimise the amount we end up putting into landfills. Reducing unnecessary waste saves council tax payers money in the long run.

“People in Wiltshire recycle nearly 40 per cent of their household waste which is a fantastic effort. I expect we will see another busy Christmas period for all our waste and recycling services – and I hope in 2008 we can reduce still further the amount we send to landfill.”

For more information about Wiltshire County Council’s waste service’s department see www.wiltshire.gov.uk.

ENDS

Contributor : Communications communications@wiltshire.gov.uk