Recycle & Reuse
26th December 2018
Now that Christmas has been and gone, we’re left surveying the damage. The period between Christmas and New Year often sees our usual routines out the window and our homes decidedly messier.
From excess food to unwanted items, overall 30% more waste is produced in the Christmas period than any other time of the year, so it’s important to remember to recycle and reuse.
What a load of Rubbish!
From cardboard boxes and empty wine bottles to greeting cards and Christmas wrapping paper, there are plenty of items that can now be recycled. Be sure to put these in your recycling rubbish bin, remembering to remove any Sellotape, labels and glitter (wherever possible).
Other everyday items can also be included in this remit, such as foil baking trays, empty perfume bottles, toilet rolls and cereal boxes. If you’re at all unsure as to what you can include in your recycling bin and what you can’t, visit North Hertfordshire District Council’s website for further details.
There will inevitably be changes to the bin collection dates over the forthcoming week too, so don’t forget to check your most recent recycling guide or refer to the council’s website.
Normal bin collections will resume from the week commencing Monday 7th January 2019.
‘Tis the Season to Treecycle
Don’t forget you can also recycle your Christmas tree! Real trees can either be planted in your garden to be used again next year, or – if you are part of the Garden Waste Collection Service – you can put your tree out with your other garden waste.
You can also drop your tree off at a recycling centre, where it will be chipped for walk paths or turned into soil. Or you can find an organisation or a charity that offers a treecycling service where it could be used to make effective barriers against floods. Alternatively, you can safely cut up and burn your Christmas tree in a fireplace to help keep you warm during the winter.
If your artificial Christmas tree has seen the end of its life, this can be taken to your local tip.
Food Fun
Why not experiment with your festive food leftovers to make new dishes? Visit the website Love Food Hate Waste (or download the associated app), to give you some recipe inspiration.
If you can’t use leftovers, be sure to recycle them in your food waste caddy, where relevant.
Garden Square’s Centre Manager, Jack Philbin, says: “Christmas is always a busy time and sometimes it’s easy to forget to recycle and reuse. But, by dedicating a small amount of time to separating recyclable items and ensuring that we make the most of our food leftovers, it can make a big difference to the environment. We’re dedicated to sustainability at Garden Square, and we’ll be doing our bit to ensure we recycle and reuse as much as possible during this time of year and going forward.”
We’d like to take this opportunity to wish our shoppers a very Happy, Healthy and Sustainable New Year!
