Wishing you a merry waste-less Christmas

The Christmas period is set to see lots go to waste in the UK, including around 277,000 miles of wrapping paper, which is enough to wrap around the Earth eleven times, up to 2 million turkeys and 74 million mince pies.*

Throughout December, the ‘Make the Most Of’ campaign will urge households to think again about wasting food and encourage recycling, by sharing a digital advent calendar full of festive tips to waste less this season. As Gloucestershire strides closer to becoming a carbon neutral county by 2050 residents are invited to do their bit to reduce waste and the resulting impacts to the environment.

Cllr Nigel Moor is the cabinet member responsible for waste at Gloucestershire County Council and is also the lead for climate change. Cllr Moor, said, “Christmas for many is a time to indulge in tasty food, however food waste has a large impact on the environment. This can be avoided, and we hope by sharing tips on how to reduce food waste and recycle more over the festive period residents will do their bit to help our environment, while also saving those all important pennies.”

Waste reduction

Here are a few helpful ways to waste less food, save money and help the environment:

1. Only buy what you need - the Christmas coronavirus restrictions will limit the number of households getting together, you may be catering for less people this year. Go to www.lovefoodhatewaste.com  for tips on savvy planning and portion control.
2. Buy recyclable wrapping paper or reuse pretty Christmas fabric to wrap gifts year after year. Many shops have announced that their wrapping paper will be plastic and/or glitter free. Make sure to check the labels.
3. Create an 'eat me first' shelf in your cupboard and fridge, so that when the Christmas snacking starts your family knows where to begin.

The daily helpful tips and advice are available on our Facebook and Twitter accounts and also on our website here.

Household Recycling Centres

Household Recycling Centres are open for appointments only so book online to avoid disappointment.

They will also be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

Christmas kerbside collections

Plan ahead and visit your local council’s website to find out when your recycling will be collected over the Christmas period. If all of your bins are empty before Christmas there will be plenty of space to recycle all of your extra festive waste. You find them all below:

​Cheltenham Borough Council

Cotswold District Council

Forest of Dean District Council

Gloucester City Council

Stroud District Council

Tewkesbury Borough Council

Don’t forget to wash your hands before and after taking your recycling out to help prevent the spread of Coronavirus.

*Source for waste statistics: https://www.biffa.co.uk/biffablog/2019/december/research-shows-brits-are-dreaming-of-a-green-christmas