Christmas is a time of excess – more food, more presents, more packaging. And that also means we produce more waste.
Have a look at our top tips to stay sustainable and make the most of your waste this Christmas.
After being such an important part of the festive period, your Christmas tree definitely deserves a proper send off. Find out how to get rid of your Christmas tree.
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Have a more sustainable Christmas (while also giving back) by getting pre-loved, repaired and upcycled gifts from our Renew Shops, Online Shop, or our eBay page!
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Recycling Centres are usually busy during the Christmas period, so plan your visit. If you are using, a van you will need a permit. Get your application in before 19th December.
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Have a Greener Christmas with preloved gifts and smarter recycling, and more. Read the blog for our top tips!
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Some small electrical items and toys contain hidden batteries; you can recycle them to any recycling centre. Don’t put batteries in any bin at home as they can cause fires.
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Sick of wasting food every year? We’ve pulled together a few tips to help you freeze your festive food bills and make sure you’re not wasting food this Christmas:
FIND OUT MORENot all wrapping paper is actually paper. Some is made with plastic or foil. To check if it can be recycled, try the scrunch test. If you can scrunch the paper into a ball and it stays scrunched, you can recycle it.
Before recycling your cardboard boxes, take out all plastic packaging, bubble wrap and polystyrene. They are all made with plastic and can’t be recycled, so put them in your general waste bin.
Cards and wrapping paper with glitter can’t be recycled. This is because glitter is made from plastic and can’t be separated out in the recycling process. Put it into general waste.
Decorations such as tinsel and baubles cannot be recycled. Plastic baubles are often made from materials that are not widely recycled in the UK. Broken decorations should go into your general waste bin. If unwanted decorations aren’t damaged and can be reused, donate them to your local charity shop or take them to your local recycling centre.
Most Christmas crackers can’t be recycled and should be disposed of in your general waste bin. Often mostly made of paper, if it doesn’t have glitter pop them in your paper and card bin.
Christmas tree lights, wires, cables and other electrical items can’t go in any of your bins at home. You can recycle them at your local Recycling Centre.
If you have used batteries, or items with hidden batteries, you can recycle them at any recycling centre. Don’t put batteries in any bin at home as they can cause fires.
Most plastic packaging goes in your general waste bin, or you can put them in the non-recyclable waste container at a recycling centre.
Some shops and supermarkets allow you to return unwanted packaging for disposal. Supermarkets also will take plastic wrapping like bread bags, plastic carrier bags etc.
Download your free bin guide. Keep it handy on your phone or print and pop it on the fridge or by the bins.
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Getting ready for a new school year can cost a lot and create extra waste. Here are a few simple ways to make back to school a bit cheaper and more sustainable.
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Meet Crumbs, our food waste kitchen caddy. They might be small, but they have a big appetite and they’re ready to be fed, from banana skins and teabags to eggshells and leftovers, they’ll happily tuck into all the bits you can’t eat. Keep Crumbs fed, give them a quick wash when they need it and they’ll help make sure your food waste is recycled instead of ending up in your general waste bin.
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