Over the Christmas period, an estimated 3 million extra tonnes of waste are produced in the U.K. However, with a little thought, you can limit the impact you have over the holiday season by following our top tips.
Avoid goods that involve unnecessary packaging, and buy food and drink packaged in materials that can be recycled in your Green Box
SNUB - Say No to Unwanted Bags! Always reuse your plastic bags, or better still use a reusable shopping bag.
Try to avoid buying or requesting gifts that rely on disposable parts, including batteries (or look for an alternative that could use rechargeable batteries).
Look out for gifts with a high recycled content or made from recycled materials. For ideas, the Recycled Products Guide (RPG) lists 1,000 products made from recycled materials. Log onto www.recycledproducts.org.uk.
Choose decorations that can be reused. Similarly, home made gift tags can be made from old greetings cards, and any kind of unusual paper can be used to wrap gifts.
Buy a U.K. grown real tree with roots that you can plant in your garden or keep in a pot for next year. Artificial trees are even better as they can be used many, many times, and with care will last forever.
Save envelopes and reuse them with reuse labels, available from many charity catalogues and shops.
Buy recycled wrapping paper and use string, wool or ribbon for wrapping gifts instead of sticky tape. The string can be reused, and the paper too.
Put your christmas cards in your Green Box with your cardboard to be recycled. Alternatively, The Woodland Trust, the U.K’s leading woodland conservation charity, runs a Christmas Card Recycling Scheme. From the 2nd –31st January, take all your cards to WHSmith high street stores and Tesco Extra and Superstores.
If you're not sure what to buy, why not give money or gift vouchers? For more ideas, log onto www.oxfamunwrapped.com.
Contact us
Waste and Recycling Services
Civic Centre
Lampton Road
Hounslow
TW3 4DN
Tel: 020 8583 5555
Fax: 020 8583 5134
E-mail: recycling@hounslow.gov.uk