Start dreaming of a green Christmas
December 7, 2006 9:14 AM
For many of us, Christmas is a time of increased eating, drinking and spending. But we should bear in mind that this excess also means at 20% increase in the amount of rubbish we generate - approximately 3 million tonnes of waste! Did you know for example that Royal Mail delivers around 150 million cards and packets each day during the pre-Christmas period. It is estimated that up to 1 billion Christmas cards could end up in bins across the UK. A staggering 83 square km of wrapping paper will be discarded - that's enough to cover an area larger than Guernsey!
Why not take a bit of time to limit your impact on the environment this Christmas.
1. When shopping for food avoid goods which involve unnecessary packaging or complicated mixed material packaging which can make recycling difficult.
2. SNUB - Say No to Unwanted Bags! Always use a reusable shopping bag or reuse plastic bags. Don't accept bags that you don't need.
3. Where possible avoid buying (or requesting) presents which rely on disposable parts, including batteries. Always look for alternatives, eg a coffee maker that uses a washable filter rather than throwaway paper ones, or a wind-up/solar powered radio.
4. Buy Recycled! Buying products that have a recycled content is just as important as actually recycling. It is essential that markets for recycled products are developed. Look out for unusual gifts made from recycled materials, such as glass tableware, stationery or photo frames. The Recycled Products Guide (www.recycledproducts.org.uk) and Recyclenow (www.recyclenow.com) are two websites which list more than 1000 products made from recycled materials.
5. Buy a UK-grown real tree with roots that can be planted in your garden or kept in a pot for next year. Artificial trees are a good alternative as they can be used many times, but as they are usually made of a number of different materials, including plastics, they are difficult to recycle once they are no longer required.
6. Pass any unwanted presents on to your local charity shop rather than throwing them away - there is sure to be someone who will like them!
7. Recycle your glass bottle and jars at any of the recycle sites around the borough. If you have a kerbside collection, please put as much as you can in the yellow box and any extras in old carrier bags.
8. Christmas cards can be recycled in Maidstone council cardboard banks and at special Woodland Trust banks at TK Maxx, Tesco and WH Smith from 6 January.
Why not make it a green new year too?
Make a resolution to reduce, reuse and recycle as much as you can in 2007. Complete the recycling loop and buy recycled goods wherever possible. The future of recycling ultimately depends upon there being a market for recycled materials.
And finally, if you've been inundated with junk mail this Christmas, contact the Mailing Preference Service to remove your name from mailing lists. Register online at www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr/ or call 020 7291 3310.
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