Reduce your waste at Christmas

Over the festive period, 30% more glass bottles and jars, food and drinks cans, paper and cardboard will be thrown away.

Christmas shopping

• Take re-usable shopping bags or carrier bags with you.
• Buy gifts made from recycled materials and with minimal packaging.
• Buy wrapping paper and cards which can be recycled. Plain cards without glitter, glue or decorations can be recycled. For wrapping paper, remember the scrunch test! If it scrunches, it can be recycled. Remove sticky tape and decorations before recycling. Foil wrapping paper cannot be recycled.
• If you're buying electrical goods, check if the shop has a 'take back' service to recycle any old items which you might be replacing.
• Buy rechargeable batteries for electrical goods and toys.
• Get rid of packaging and wrapping paper altogether
• Go for an alternative gift - eg plant a tree, adopt an animal.
• Go for a gift experience - eg theatre tickets, days out, wine tasting.
• Send an e-Christmas card.
• Use a re-usable gift bag.

Christmas trees

• If you purchase a real tree, get it from a sustainable grower and make sure it has Forest Stewardship Council accreditation.
• If you purchase an artificial tree, make sure to look after it so that it can be reused for years to come.

Recycle your real tree at one of our Recycling centres (tips) or you can request to have your real tree collected for free. See Christmas tree collections for more information.

Local charities such as St Cuthbert's Hospice and Butterwick Hospice Care are also offering a collection in parts of the county for a donation to their charity. 

Festive food

• Plan your Christmas meals ahead. 
• Write a shopping list and sort out your freezer before going for your food shop.
• Make use of your leftovers. Find recipes such as Christmas nachos at BBC's GoodFood leftover recipes and cranberry turkey pasties and parsnip chips at Love food, hate waste.
• Try composting your peelings.

After the party's over

Make the most of your fortnightly recycling collection to recycle your wrapping paper, cards, drinks bottles, cans and cardboard packaging. If you have extra recycling, place it in a clear plastic bag (not a carrier bag or bin bag) next to your recycling bin and we will take it away.

Wrapping paper

Plain wrapping paper (not foil) can be recycled, but if it has glitter or it is plastic or foil based it cannot be recycled and should be placed in your rubbish bin. Remove bows, tags, ribbon and sticky tape before recycling plain wrapping paper. Remember the scrunch test! If it scrunches, it can be recycled. If it does not, it cannot.

Christmas cards

• Use your kerbside blue-lidded recycling bin for plain cards. Cards with stickers, glitter and decorations should go into your rubbish bin.
• Make use of supermarket Christmas card recycling points.
• Why not cut them up to use as gift tags.

Glass

Remember to place all glass in your green box this Christmas. Do no overfill them - we have to lift them up. If you have a lot of glass, you can ask for another green recycling box.

Unwanted presents

Sell or donate unwanted Christmas presents rather than throwing them away.

Unwanted furniture and electrical goods

Look into reusing furniture and household items or take them to one of our Recycling centres (tips). Many stores operate a take back scheme and you can hand over your old electrical items when you get new ones. See Waste electrical and electronic equipment (weee) recycling.

Batteries

Please do not put old batteries in household bins as they can be a fire risk. Many supermarkets and schools collect old batteries, or you can take them to your Recycling centres (tips) or one of the collection points for small electrical and battery operated items in the county.