How to recycle your extra rubbish this Christmas

We all have a lot of extra waste at Christmas – but what bins do you put it in and when will it be collected?

From the presents to the parties, no doubt your house will be jam-packed over the festive season. When the fun is all over and the new year begins, you’re left with a lot of a waste – and you need to know how to get rid of it.

Whether you need to know where to put your unwanted Christmas cards, or find out how to bin your old tree – recycling the right way can have a huge impact.

Here are some of the most common Christmas items you’ll probably be throwing away – and where exactly they need to go:

Some stuff can go in the dedicated bins provided by your council, however other items need to go to a local recycling centre.

Artificial Christmas trees

Don’t bin your artificial tree. Artificial Christmas trees need to be taken to your local recycling centre.

Real Christmas Trees

Real Christmas trees can be recycled in your food and garden recycling bin.

Don’t forget to remove any decorations, chop the branches up – so they are no thicker than your wrist – and make sure the tree is inside your bin with the lid fully closed.

Some local supermarkets and retailers run Christmas tree take-back recycling schemes.

Food

Food waste can’t be recycled at a recycling centre because they aren’t licensed to accept segregated food waste. You can recycle your food waste at home in your food and garden recycling bin.

Pringles tubes

These cannot be recycled in your mixed recycling bin at home. They should go in your general rubbish bin or taken to your local recycling centre. Crisp tubes are made from a mixture of paper, plastic and metal which are difficult to separate for recycling.

Gift wrap and cards

These need to go in the blue paper recycling bin. Glitter should be removed from the cards if you can – as this makes things much easier during the recycling process.

Bottles

With Christmas comes beer and wine – usually lots of it. You can recycle glass bottles and jars (all colours) in your mixed recycling bin at home.

Cardboard

All types of card can be recycled in your paper and card recycling bin at home.

These include, cardboard packaging (such as empty cereal boxes), kitchen roll and toilet roll tubes, cardboard boxes (flattened), greeting cards and clothes labels.

Large cardboard sheets are useful in the garden as a weed suppressing mulch when covered with compost. Shredded cardboard could also be used for animal bedding.

By Holly O’Rourke. Source: Manchester Evening News