Did you know?

During the festive period, the UK produces and discards an extra 30% of rubbish in comparison with the rest of the year [1].

So, what can you do to ensure you leave the smallest impact on our environment as you enter the new year?

The Christmas Tree

Is your household team real or team fake? Whichever you are, consider making the most sustainable choice when taking down your tree.

Team real tree:

Replant: Why not replant your Christmas tree in the garden and enjoy it for years to come? You’ll also be helping to reduce your carbon footprint. Win win!
Recycle: Take your tree to a local recycling centre where it can be turned into chippings and spread across woodland areas.

Team artificial tree:

Reuse: Woohoo lucky you! Just pop your tree back in the box and keep it for next year. The majority of artificial trees are made of plastic and are not recyclable. To make the most sustainable choice, you should be reusing it for years to come.
Donate: If you want to change things up with a new tree, don’t send your tree to landfill. Instead, why not donate it to a local charity or organisation so someone else can benefit.

The Wrapping Paper, Crackers & Cards

Did you know? On average, 277,000 miles of wrapping paper go to waste over the festive period [2].

Reuse: Simply remove all sticky tape from your wrapping paper, iron out any creases and voila...Now you can reuse it for next year’s gift wrapping! You can also create matching gift tags - cut some of the paper into a shape, punch a hole and thread some string.

Repurpose: All that leftover paper and card would make great padding when storing away your Christmas decorations.

Get crafty: Fancy a new craft project? From origami, to scrapbooking, or making Christmas decorations for next year - your paper and card could come in handy!

Recycle: Did you know that not all wrapping paper, cards and crackers are recyclable? If any of these items contain any glitter or other embellishments, they can't be recycled. A good way to check whether your wrapping paper is recyclable is to perform “the scrunch test”: scrunch your paper into a ball - if it remains in a ball it can be recycled, but if it unfolds it cannot. And remember: remove all sticky tape, bows and ribbons before putting these items in your recycle bin!

The Unwanted Gifts

There’s always at least one unwanted gift at Christmas. Each year, £42 million of unwanted presents end up in landfill [3]. Here’s what you can do to ensure you’re not adding to this number:

Regift: Give your unwanted gift a more loving home by regifting it to someone else - just make sure it's not personalised to you, or that you're not gifting it back to the original gifter!

Donate: Check for toy and gift appeals, both in your local area and online, or consider donating to your local charity shop.