December has crept up on us and there are now just 23 sleeps till Santa. We all know that it is a time to eat, drink and be merry, but between now and twelfth night, we will all generate mountains of waste. Whether it comes from buying and wrapping presents or that which is left over from cooking the Christmas dinner, it will quickly pile up.
So as the festive season approaches, here are three questions to ask yourself:
Could You Reduce Your Waste?
Ultimately, the best-case scenario is if you can reduce the level of waste you produce altogether. There are a number of ways that this can be done.
- We have already seen a dramatic reduction in the number of carrier bags being used since the introduction of the 5p carrier bag charge. It is inevitable that you will need multiple bags for your shopping, so why not invest in reusable shopping bags to use when making your purchases?
- It can be very easy to get carried away when it comes to wrapping Christmas presents. Using more wrapping paper than is required will not only generated unnecessary waste, but will ultimately result in you spending extra money on another roll!
- You could always avoid wrapping paper waste all together by investing in Christmas stockings to hold some of those smaller gifts.
Could You Reuse Your Waste?
Okay, so it is not going to be possible to avoid generating waste completely this Christmas. So, the next best thing is to consider whether the waste you are about to throw away could be reused.
- Millions and millions of pounds are spent every year on Christmas cards, wrapping paper and associated accessories. Instead of wasting money, why not use pinking shears to make your own using old Christmas cards?
- Every year in the UK we purchase an estimated 8 MILLION Christmas trees. The vast majority of these will inevitably be disposed of once the decorations come down – but it needn’t be like that. Simple make sure to invest in a tree with the roots still attached and it can be transferred to the garden in the spring.
- Better still, rather than spending money every year on a new tree, why not invest in an artificial Christmas tree that can be reused over and over again?
- Every year there is a must have toy that kids are crying out for. To power them, we get through more than 620 MILLION batteries each year. So, if you are considering buying your child an electronic toy this Christmas, why not invest in some rechargeable batteries at the same time?
Could You Recycle Your Waste?
So, you’ve tried to reduce your waste and you’re not able to reuse that which has been generated. The final option is to try and recycle it.
- Once Christmas is over, make use of your recycling bin to dispose of all appropriate waste. This can include wrapping paper, Christmas cards, glass bottles and jars, drinks cans and most plastic packaging.
- Are you in charge of preparing the Christmas dinner this year? Create a compost heap in the garden and fuel it with all those peelings generated as you cook.