Reduce, reuse, recycle this Christmas

Christmas is a great time of year to show our loved ones how much we care. However it is also a holiday which has a big impact on the environment. We have some top tips to help you reduce your waste this festive season.

Recycle your Christmas tree

If you have a real Christmas tree no higher than 6ft, we can recycle it for you.

To find out how to recycle your tree as a non garden waste subscriber please visit recycle your Christmas tree.

Have an eco friendly Christmas

There are many ways you can reduce your waste and have a more environmentally friendly Christmas.

1. Reduce

• Plan how much food you will need this Christmas to save money and reduce your food waste. For some great festive recipe ideas, especially for using up leftovers, visit Love Food Hate Waste - recipes.
• Use our reprintable meal planner (PDF, 2 MB) to plan your meals over the festive period
• You could send e-cards by e-mail to friends and family instead of buying paper ones
• Donating money to charity instead of buying physical gifts can be a great way to show someone you care about an important cause
• Experience day gifts are also a great option for the person that has it all!
• Avoid individually wrapped sweets or chocolates

2. Reuse

• Going Christmas shopping? Make sure to bring your reusable bags
• Save any gift bags, ribbon and bows and reuse them next year. No one will notice and you save on buying wrapping paper too
• Purchasing second hand decorations online, including artificial trees, is a great way to grab a bargain
• Christmas cards can be cut up and made into gift tags for next year
• Opt for reusable batteries which can be recharged over and over again

3. Recycle

Below is a list of Christmas items which can and can't be recycled. To find out about which general items you can and can't recycle visit our A-Z of recycling page.

We can recycle

• Christmas cards - these can be put in your red-lidded bin as long as they don't have glitter on them
• Non-foil, non-glitter wrapping paper - make sure to do the scrunch test and remove any plastic sellotape before putting it in the red-lidded bin. To do the scrunch test, scrunch the paper up into a ball - if it springs back, it can't be recycled, but if it stays in a ball then it can
• Foil trays used for cooking -  these should be thoroughly cleaned of food residue before being put in your yellow-lidded bin 
• Glass bottles- these should be put in your yellow-lidded bin.

We can't recycle

• Baubles and tinsel - but you can sell them online or donate decorations to your local charity shop
• Broken Christmas lights and used batteries - these items should be disposed of at your local Household Waste and Recycling Centre. You can also drop off broken electricals at your local electrical recycling point and recycle household batteries at most supermarkets. To find your local electrical recycling point visit Recycle your electricals - recycling locator 
• Sellotape - remember to take any bits off your wrapping paper if you can. String and ribbon are great reusable alternatives
• Bows and ribbons- try to reuse these where possible or use them in craft projects.