The festive season is here! Christmas means that there may be some changes to your usual bin collections and recycling centre opening times.
Christmas is also the time of year when households across the UK create more waste than at any other period. To help combat unnecessary waste this year, and help you recycle the most common items, we’ve pulled together the handy checklist below.
There may be some changes to your usual kerbside bin collection days and recycling centre opening times over the festive season.
Find out your Christmas bin collection changes and recycling centre opening times.
You can recycle your advent calendar, as long as it doesn’t have glitter on. Simply separate the plastic tray from the cardboard box and from any foil.
Tip: scrunch any small amounts of foil into a ball so it can be picked up by the magnets in the recycling process.
Please do not dispose of batteries in the general waste or in any of your recycling containers, as they can cause a fire. You can recycle old batteries at recycling centres, libraries, in most supermarkets or in shops that sell batteries.
Cardboard boxes can be recycled at kerbside but make sure you remove plastic film or tape first. Cardboard can also be recycled at your local recycling centre.
Find our suggestions for sending and receiving Christmas cards this year.
Christmas cards can be recycled if there is no foil or glitter on them. However, you can still use these by turning the decorative front into gift tags or crafts for next year – don’t forget to put the plain side into your kerbside recycling.
Separate out the parts of used crackers. Any cardboard and paper can be recycled, as long as they don’t have any glitter or foil on. Other items, such as unwanted plastic toys or glittery card need to go in your general waste bin.
Tip: ribbons can be reused for crafts, to hang homemade decorations, or for gift tags.
Find our top tips on how to prepare for Christmas meals, so that you reduce food waste and save money.
If you’re having a clear out to make way for your new items, you can take good quality clothes to a charity shop, sell them online or pass them on in your local community through online platforms like Freegle.
For old, stained or damaged textiles, if they’re not collected at kerbside, you can use textile banks at supermarkets, car parks or in recycling centres.
If you are replacing old fairy lights, or electrical gadgets, you can donate them in local groups or online communities like Freegle. If they are not working properly and cannot be repaired, you can take them to your local recycling centre or small electrical items can be taken to some libraries in Essex.
Tip: before passing on any smart devices, such as phones, tablets, laptops or computers, make sure you remove memory cards and SIM cards. You should also permanently delete all personal and private data.
Foil wrap, tins and trays can be recycled at home in your tins and cans container.
Rinse foil trays and cans to remove any food residue. If the foil is contaminated with grease or burnt-on bits of food, throw it in your rubbish bin.
Tip: scrunch kitchen foil into a ball - the bigger the ball, the easier it is to recycle.
All food goes in your recycling caddy.
If you have a home compost bin, you can recycle uncooked fruit and vegetables, peelings, eggshells, teabags and more. If you’d like to try composting at home, find out about subsidised compost bins and advice on how to get started.
Find inspiration for gift ideas with less waste.
Empty, rinse, and replace lids on glass bottles and jars before recycling.
Check your local recycling collections for glass bottles and jars. If they’re not collected at kerbside, you can take them to local glass banks often found at supermarkets or in car parks, or drop them off at recycling centres.
Soft plastics, wrappers and biscuits/crisp packets can be recycled at dedicated collection points within most large supermarkets. Check online if there is one near you.
If you’ve had a tub of chocolates, check if plastic tubs are accepted in your kerbside collection. You can also reuse them as storage for cakes, craft materials, pet food and more.
Tip: why not check out the “Tub2Pub" scheme to see if there is a collection point near you?
Wash out plastic and foil food containers to remove any food residue, ready to be reused or recycled at home in your plastics or tins container.
Find out everything you need to know about how to choose the right Christmas tree for you.
Real Christmas trees can be composted at home or recycled at kerbside, so check your local council’s website for information. They may need to be chopped to fit your compost bin or garden waste recycling container. You can also recycle your tree at your local recycling centre, or why not see if a local charity organises collections in your area?
Plastic Christmas trees you no longer need can be donated to charity, donated online in groups like Freegle or disposed of at your local recycling centre.
Rethink wrapping presents with these simple ideas for preparing gifts this Christmas.
If using paper with glitter or foil on it, it can’t be recycled. Plain wrapping paper can go in your paper recycling container.
Tip: if you are unsure, do the scrunch test! If the wrapping paper stays in a ball it’s recyclable, but if it bounces back it will need to go in the general rubbish bin.