Recycling right this Christmas

After the presents have been unwrapped and the food is eaten, the Christmas holidays often leave us with a lot of rubbish – or is it recycling?

Here are some helpful tips to ensure you waste less and recycle more this Christmas:

  • Reuse old wrapping paper and make present labels using old Christmas cards. Avoid buying glossy foil or metallic wrapping paper, this kind of 'paper' cannot be recycled.
  • Cardboard boxes can be flattened to make more space in your recycling bin.
  • Think carefully about the amount of food you buy. There is lots of information about portion sizes, leftover food recipes and storage tips on the Love Food Hate Waste website.
  • Set your fridge to less than 5°C to keep your food fresher for longer. If you are unsure of the temperature of your fridge, more details can be found on the Chill the Fridge Out website.
  • Pizza boxes and snack tubes are rubbish, they are not recyclable.
  • New clothes and electrical items as presents? Don’t forget, old and unwanted textiles and small electrical items can be recycled.
  • Do not put old batteries into your rubbish or recycling bins. Take them to any local retailer that sells batteries, as they will also collect for correct disposal. More information about disposing of batteries can be found on the Recycle Now website.
  • Real Christmas trees can be cut up and placed inside garden waste collection bins with the lid shut or disposed of at any of the Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs).

Please don't be fooled by the 'Recycling triangle'. Not all items that have the recycling symbol on them are recyclable in Hampshire.

Councillor Lulu Bowerman, Cabinet Lead for Capita and Commercial Contracts, said: "During the festive season I would urge residents to continue to recycle and reuse as much as they can. Our social media will be sharing lots of tips and videos on how you can have a greener Christmas.

“We always produce so much more waste at this time of the year, from packaging to food leftovers, so it’s even more important we think about what we throw away and that everything is put into the correct bins.

"Not only is recycling the right thing to do for environmental reasons, it is also the most cost-effective way of disposing of our waste. Disposing of recycling is cheaper than the cost of disposing of rubbish.

"I urge everyone to double-check the items that can be put into their recycling bin, as sometimes getting it wrong is as bad as not recycling at all."

More information about recycling at Christmas.