CHRISTMAS can be the most wonderful time but the most wasteful, time of the year.
Over the Christmas period, up to 30 per cent more waste on average is produced in Worcestershire.
Worcestershire County Council is encouraging residents to think about the waste they are producing this year and how it can be reduced or recycled.
In the UK during the Christmas period we will get through 750 million bottles and 500 million drinks cans. Add to that six million Christmas trees and one billion Christmas cards and that is a huge amount of waste being produced.
Coun Richard Morris, Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “Every year we see a rise in the amount of waste being produced at Christmas. Decorations such as plastic and glass baubles, waste from toys and other gift packaging significantly increase the amount of household waste generated.
“We are asking residents to think twice about waste when purchasing food and gifts this Christmas. I’d also like to encourage people to make sure they are recycling the correct items, if you’re unsure which bin items can go in, visit our Let’s Waste Less website for more information. Finally, I would like to wish everybody a very happy Christmas and a prosperous new year.”
Below are a few top ideas to consider:
Your empty plastic tubs of Christmas treats can all be placed in your green bin for recycling
Lots of gift wrapping is non-recyclable. To find out which bin to put it in do the ‘scrunch test’, scrunch a piece of paper in your hand, if it stays scrunched then it can be recycled and placed in your green bin
Instead of physical Christmas cards, consider giving e-cards or send a video message
Take your real Christmas tree to the Household Recycling Centre and place it in the garden waste container or even better if it has roots, plant it in your garden for use next year
Worcestershire County Council is committed to helping preserve and protect the Environment for future generations.
The Council has agreed a Net Zero plan which will focus efforts to reduce our environmental impact even further whilst still enabling us to deliver sustainable growth and will continue to invest in environmental measures that protect natural environment, enhance biodiversity and reduce the carbon footprint.
For further information on reducing your waste and where to recycle or reuse any additional Christmas waste, please visit www.letswasteless.com.
