News
Will you be watching your waste this Christmas?
This feature was added on 22nd December 2005
It is expected that as a nation this Christmas, we will consume over 750,000 tonnes of Christmas pudding, buy 55,000 tonnes of turkey and 175 million mince pies. We will throw away 83 square kilometres of wrapping paper and post more than 150 million greetings cards.
That may create a lot of festive cheer, but it will also create a substantial amount of extra of rubbish. Instead of throwing it all in the bin, take a few minutes to separate and recycle your waste.
"It's important for people to recycle all year round, but at this time of year even more waste is created so we all need to try a little harder to avoid sending recycables to landfill unnecesarily," said Stuart Pile Executive Member for Environment and Transport.
"But being green isn't just for Christmas. Unless we cut the amount of rubbish we put in our bins, we and the environment will be paying the price for it in the next few years."
The Hertfordshire WasteAware Partnership have a number of tips for a green Christmas:
- Vent your festive frustrations after the family get-together by jumping on your cans to crush them and then taking a calming walk to the collection bank. Occupy your children, post present opening, by collecting wrapping paper ready to use again next year.
- If your children come shopping with you for Christmas meal preparations, challenge them to look for ways to cut down on packaging on the things you buy – for instance by buying loose fruit and vegetables or taking your own bags to the supermarket.
- If you have leftovers after your meal simple measures like storing food in reusable containers or old margarine tubs rather than wrapping it in cling film or foil can make a difference to your bin and your purse.
- If you've got a garden, you could start a compost heap. The WasteAware Partnership is offering subsidised home composters for residents from just £7 which could make an ideal gift for a gardener!
- Did you know that you can recycle your Christmas tree? Christmas trees are accepted at all Hertfordshire Household Waste Recycling Centres in the green waste containers. If you don't wish to recycle your tree, another option is to buy a tree with roots and plant it in the garden.
- Recycle your Christmas cards in the cardboard containers at all Household Waste Recycling Centres. Or why not take your Christmas cards along to one of the collection points in WH Smiths or Tesco in January 2006 who are collecting the cards on behalf of the Woodland Trust?
- Pass any unwanted presents to your local charity shop rather then throwing them away.