Reduce waste this Christmas

Did you know that around 30% more waste is generated at this time of year.

Below are some ideas on how you can reduce waste this Christmas.

Wrapping presents

Use recyclable wrapping paper where possible. Remember if it's got foil or glitter on it then it can't be recycled and could contain plastic.

Or why not use old newspaper to wrap gifts or even recycle last year's paper.

Instead of adding plastic ribbons to your gifts that will end up in landfill, why not use a more sustainable alternative like a fabric bow that can be kept and re-used on future gifts.

Cards

Approximately 1 billion Christmas cards are thrown away every year. It would take the equivalent of 33 million trees to make that amount of card.

Try and buy cards printed on FSC-certified, recycled card and are recyclable. Better still go for the personal touch and make your own from recycled card. Remember just like wrapping paper, cards decorated with glitter or foil, can't be recycled.

Festive shopping

Try and buy as many items as possible from local suppliers, such as your meat, fruit, and veg. Buy your vegetables loose where possible, as plastic packaging accounts for nearly 70% of the UK plastic waste.

There are many fantastic local shops in Chorley, here's where you can find out about a few....

Chorley Markets
Market Walk
Totally Locally Facebook Page
Astley Hall, Coach House and Park

Plus, there's now plastic free, zero waste shops in the Borough - why not pay them a visit.

Don't forget to take your reusable shopping bags when you go out shopping.
 

Christmas trees

An artificial Christmas tree needs to be used for approximately 10 years for its' environmental impact to be lower than a real tree. Trees, woods, and forests are vital for tackling the climate emergency. Buying your real Christmas tree from a certified by Grown in Britain supplier will ensure the tree you purchase is from a legal and sustainable UK source.

Once the Christmas season is over, if you need to dispose of your real tree, you can drop your tree off at the corner of the Yarrow Valley Country Park car park between 3 to 8 January for us to then chip and recycle (last year's trees were used to supplement the bird feeding pathway at Brinscall Lodge). Alternatively you can chop up and put in your Garden Waste bin for composting.

Christmas lights

500 tonnes of Christmas lights are discarded every year in the UK. Switch to using LED lights on your Christmas tree - you'll be using less energy but make sure you switch them off at night!
 

Christmas dinner

When it comes to planning and cooking Christmas dinner and other festive treats, there are some simple yet important ways we can protect the environment.

Plan and be realistic about how much food you need and use up leftovers where possible.

Instead of clingfilm, use reusable containers/covers and wax cloth covers to keep your leftovers fresh.

Pouring leftover cooking fats down the sink can harden in cold pipes. Instead leave to cool, then scrape into the food waste or bin. Don't feed a festive fatberg this Christmas.

Love Food Hate Waste Christmas Blog has some great ideas on how you can use your left overs.
 

Festive drink

We use over 35 million plastic bottles every day, so when you are buying drinks for the festive season, please buy products that can be reused/recycled.

Unwanted gifts

Approximately £4 billion is spent on unwanted gifts. That is over 60 million unwanted gifts every year!

If you receive a gift that is not something you would use, there are various things you could do rather than throwing it away.

You could donate the item to charity, sell the item or organise a charity sale for unwanted gifts. Remember 1 person's trash is someone else's treasure.

Recycle

Find out what you can put in your household recycling bins.

If you have something that can't be put in the household recycling bins for us to collect, take a look at the recycle now website to find out where it can be recycled.