Christmas is just around the corner, and we all want to celebrate. We also all know how important it is to touch the earth lightly, with Christmas being no exception.
Christmas is traditionally the time of year we create the most waste at home. From all the extra food we buy to the mountain of packaging from Christmas gift purchases, it’s a great opportunity to make sure we’re recycling everything we possibly can.
A time of huge consumption is a great opportunity to lessen your impact and have lots of fun while you do so! Follow these tips to be more sustainable this Christmas:
- Eat, recycle, be merry. Every Council in Wales provides a weekly food waste recycling collection service. You can recycle turkey bones, veg peelings and any leftovers that can’t be safely eaten later!
- If you are buying a ‘real’ Christmas tree, consider its life after being the centre of your living room. Potted Christmas trees can often be reused, while many garden centres will collect trees after the season with your garden waste.
- No Christmas tree, no problem! Existing houseplants can easily be decorated to make a beautiful and modern Christmas display.
- Shop local for gifts or consider lower waste gifts such as experiences or charitable donations.
- You can recycle all cardboard from your online deliveries. Remove all packaging tape and flatten any boxes to save space in your recycling bag, bin or box.
- Think about your food choices and consider minimising your meat intake over the festive period.
- Most plastic items from around the home can be recycled including the big plastic tubs of chocolate and sweets most of us have around the house at Christmas!
- Don’t overlook foil this Christmas. Recycle your empty foil mince pies cases and any foil used in your Christmas cooking. Rinse foil trays and containers before recycling them.
- Wrapping paper is difficult to recycle. Brown paper and string are great recyclable alternatives or consider reusing scarves or other scrap fabrics as a modern alternative to plastic coater wrapping papers.
- Make your Christmas travel greener by travelling by public transport or lift-sharing wherever possible.
If you’re unsure what you can and can’t recycle, visit Wales Recycles’ Recycling Locator.
Be Mighty this Christmas!
Be Mighty. Recycle is Wales’ largest and most ambitious recycling campaign that aims to help Wales reach its statutory targets of recycling 70% of its waste by 2025 and become a zero-waste nation by 2050.
The campaign is funded by Welsh Government and delivered by Wales Recycles. To find out more, visit www.bemightyrecycle.org.uk.
Turn USW Green
Make a sustainable pledge this Christmas! Turn USW Green is a web app that rewards you for positive environmental actions. For each action you take you’ll earn ‘Green Points’ and compete on leader boards with your colleagues, fellow students and as whole departments.
USW is committed to creating a sustainable university environment and aims to be carbon neutral by 2040 – which is 10 years ahead of the UK government’s national plan. To learn more visit University of South Wales | Sustainability.
We wish you all a happy, safe and green Christmas!