Use up your leftover food
Collectively, we throw away 7 million tonnes of food every year and chances are there’ll be a lot of food left on the table after you’ve finished your big Christmas meal. Leftover turkey makes for a tasty sandwich, fruit and veg peelings can be used for compost and hungry birds are sure to appreciate a bit of mince pie to help them through the winter.
Don’t throw away old things
Getting a shiny new phone for Christmas doesn’t mean you have to throw away your old one. Recycle things you don’t need or won’t use any more, or drop them off at your local charity shop and make someone else’s year. The same applies to used batteries, which can be deposited at many supermarkets or household waste recycling centres.
Join Freecycle
Freecycle is a gifting network with over 9 million members around the world. Their aim is to reduce waste and our dependency on landfill sites by reusing and recycling unwanted items – you can find your local Freecycle group on their website.
Avoid wasting wrapping paper
Painstakingly wrapping all the presents you’ve bought is one of the more tedious and time-consuming parts of Christmas preparation, but most people simply tear off the paper and toss it to one side. Taking the time to recycle all your wrapping paper is an excellent way to reduce waste, as is using old brown paper or newspaper as a substitute. Christmas cards can easily be cut up and repurposed as festive gift tags for next year.
Don’t buy more than you need
Whether it’s food, presents or wrapping paper, try your best to plan ahead and work out exactly how much you need. Last-minute panic buying is likely to leave you with a surplus, so save time and money by making a shopping list and only getting what you need.
Acumen provides waste management and site services to industries all over the country. If you’re interested in finding out more, please give us a call on 01977 529586 or send your enquiries to info@acumenwaste.co.uk.
