The presents are unwrapped, the turkey has been digested and you have got a pounding headache after having one too many brandies.
Sound familiar? Christmas may be over, but the environmental impact of our festivities has only just begun…
3 million tonnes of extra waste is produced over Christmas every year, 3.5 extra black bags of packaging will be thrown away, and 400,000 tonnes of both paper cardboard and packaging that could be recycled will end up in landfill instead.
This has a catastrophic effect on our planet, with much of this waste ending up in landfill, our oceans, but even post-Christmas, there are still things that you can do to help
1. Separate out your recycling – the chaos of Christmas means that presents are un-wrapped at lightning speed, and tags, paper, ribbons and bows all end up in a jumbled heap on the floor. While it may seem like a bit of an arduous task, separating the pieces that cannot be recycled from the wrapping paper, and making sure that it doesn’t just end up in a black bin sack can really help the planet.
2. Reuse your wrapping paper – if you’ve managed to open your presents without tearing the paper to smithereens, why not fold it up and tuck it away ready to re-wrap your presents again next year? This saves more paper from being wasted and means that you won’t have to buy acres of paper yet again. Good for your purse and good for the planet.
3. Save the scraps – mountains of food cooked that you didn’t manage to eat? Don’t chuck it in the bin! Find new and innovative recipes that show you how to use up
4. Your scraps and that means nothing goes to waste. Why not try a turkey curry? Or a roasted sprout salad? Or a beef pie?
5. Re-gifting – we all get that dreaded pair of socks from Auntie Beryl that are 3 sizes too big, but instead of sending them straight to sock heaven by way of the rubbish bin, think about regifting them or giving them to charity. One mans trash may be another mans treasure, so make sure to pass on the love instead of adding to a mountain of waste.
These are just some ways in which you can reduce you waste in this post-Christmas lull. For more sustainability tips and tricks, follow us on Instagram.
