MoreThanWaste.com - Watch your "wasteline" use the 3Rs this Christmas (22/12/2006)

Christmas advice and stats from DEFRA and Recycle Now:

The surge in consumption over the Christmas/New Year period creates an estimated three million tonnes of waste in the UK.
41% of adults either don’t ever recycle or let their efforts lapse over the festive season.
19% of adults admit to buying too much food for their Christmas Day meal.

The above figures come from a survey commissioned by national recycling campaign Recycle Now. Recycle Now is urging people to watch their ‘wastelines’ as well as their waistlines this festive season, and has issued the following tips:

Food

Research shows that we throw more food in the bin than packaging. Around 6.2m tonnes of food ends up in landfill sites every year. As rotting food in landfill generates methane – a greenhouse gas that is judged to be 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide – food waste is an issue we cannot ignore.

Write a shopping list. Be realistic about exactly how much food you need.
Buy food and drink packaged in materials that can be recycled easily in your area, for example, glass or plastic.
Check the ‘where can I recycle’ section on www.recyclenow.com.
Buy your fruit and vegetables loose not pre-packed. You get to choose the best ones and buy only what you need, saving money and reducing the amount of packaging in your bin.
Use a reusable shopping bag or reuse your plastic bags.
Drop off bottles, jars etc at the bottle banks at the supermarket when you go shopping – if you don’t have a doorstep collection service.
Don’t let food go mushy because your fridge is too cold. 70% of our fridges are set at too high a temperature. Keeping your fridge between 1-5o C helps you get the best from your food. If your fridge doesn’t indicate the actual temperature on the dial, get a fridge thermometer.
Compost your waste. On average, over 70% of household waste is landfilled each year. At least 30% of an average household bin could be composted at home. Fill your compost bin with everything from uncooked vegetable scraps and fruit peelings to teabags, coffee grounds, eggshells and even the egg boxes. This will reduce the amount of rubbish you put out for collection and also create a free, nutritious fertilizer for your garden.

Gifts

Buy recycled - fleeces made from plastic bottles, watches from cork, handbags from CDs. See the Recycle Now website for ideas and suppliers’ details.
Don’t buy presents with disposable parts. For example, look for coffee makers with washable rather than throwaway filters.
Buy rechargeable batteries for kids’ toys and electrical goods.
Make space for new toys and clothes by taking the old ones to a local charity shop or nursery/after school club.
Recycle wrapping paper, plastic and cardboard packaging.

Cards and decorations

If you buy Christmas cards look for ones made from recycled card/paper.
Instead of sending cards, send a text message or email.
Don’t bin your Christmas cards when you take them down; support the Woodland Trust and take them to your local Tesco (excludes Express), mainland WHSmith high street stores or TK Maxx stores, who will collect them for recycling. See http://www.recyclenow.com/ for more information.
Buy reusable decorations and pack them away for future years.
Use ‘natural’ materials eg foliage, berries, to decorate your home.
If you buy a real Christmas tree, recycle it afterwards - check with your local authority or garden centre to see where it can be taken/collected.

And finally - Make a New Year’s resolution to recycle more stuff, more often.


	Watch your "wasteline" use the 3Rs this Christmas (22/12/2006) Christmas advice and stats from DEFRA and Recycle Now: The surge in consumption over the Christmas/New Year period creates an estimated three million tonnes of waste in the UK. 41% of adults either don’t ever recycle or let their efforts lapse over the festive season. 19% of adults admit to buying too much food for their Christmas Day meal. The above figures come from a survey commissioned by national recycling campaign Recycle Now. Recycle Now is urging people to watch their ‘wastelines’ as well as their waistlines this festive season, and has issued the following tips: Food Research shows that we throw more food in the bin than packaging. Around 6.2m tonnes of food ends up in landfill sites every year. As rotting food in landfill generates methane – a greenhouse gas that is judged to be 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide – food waste is an issue we cannot ignore. Write a shopping list. Be realistic about exactly how much food you need. Buy food and drink packaged in materials that can be recycled easily in your area, for example, glass or plastic. Check the ‘where can I recycle’ section on www.recyclenow.com. Buy your fruit and vegetables loose not pre-packed. You get to choose the best ones and buy only what you need, saving money and reducing the amount of packaging in your bin. Use a reusable shopping bag or reuse your plastic bags. Drop off bottles, jars etc at the bottle banks at the supermarket when you go shopping – if you don’t have a doorstep collection service. Don’t let food go mushy because your fridge is too cold. 70% of our fridges are set at too high a temperature. Keeping your fridge between 1-5o C helps you get the best from your food. If your fridge doesn’t indicate the actual temperature on the dial, get a fridge thermometer. Compost your waste. On average, over 70% of household waste is landfilled each year. At least 30% of an average household bin could be composted at home. Fill your compost bin with everything from uncooked vegetable scraps and fruit peelings to teabags, coffee grounds, eggshells and even the egg boxes. This will reduce the amount of rubbish you put out for collection and also create a free, nutritious fertilizer for your garden. Gifts Buy recycled - fleeces made from plastic bottles, watches from cork, handbags from CDs. See the Recycle Now website for ideas and suppliers’ details. Don’t buy presents with disposable parts. For example, look for coffee makers with washable rather than throwaway filters. Buy rechargeable batteries for kids’ toys and electrical goods. Make space for new toys and clothes by taking the old ones to a local charity shop or nursery/after school club. Recycle wrapping paper, plastic and cardboard packaging. Cards and decorations If you buy Christmas cards look for ones made from recycled card/paper. Instead of sending cards, send a text message or email. Don’t bin your Christmas cards when you take them down; support the Woodland Trust and take them to your local Tesco (excludes Express), mainland WHSmith high street stores or TK Maxx stores, who will collect them for recycling. See http://www.recyclenow.com/ for more information. Buy reusable decorations and pack them away for future years. Use ‘natural’ materials eg foliage, berries, to decorate your home. If you buy a real Christmas tree, recycle it afterwards - check with your local authority or garden centre to see where it can be taken/collected. And finally - Make a New Year’s resolution to recycle more stuff, more often. [Source: DEFRA website. Crown © 2006]