12 top waste reducing tips for the 12 days of Christmas
1. Avoid temptation
When shopping for Christmas food make sure you have planned in advance and don't be tempted by things you don't need or won't use up.
2. Don't leave out the leftovers
Plan your meals so that you can reuse leftovers as much as possible. Make sure you reuse your turkey for pie, curry, turkey pasta bake, soup and so on until New Year! Visit
www.lovefoodhatewaste.com for lots of ideas on how to avoid overcooking, plan meals and use leftovers and generally how to save money by being careful with food.
3. Give them a new home
Take all old unwanted toys, games and clothes to a local jumble sale or charity shop rather than throwing them away after Christmas.
4. New cards for old
Keep all your Christmas cards from this year to make into new Christmas cards and gift tags for next year or take them to WH Smiths, Marks and Spencer and TK Maxx who will both be running a Christmas Card Recycling Scheme for the Woodlands Trust in Torbay this year.
5. Power up for recycling
Take any old or unwanted electrical items such as toasters, kettles and irons to the Household Waste Recycling Centre for recycling.
6. Re-charge your batteries
Buy re-chargeable batteries for battery operated presents rather than single use ones. Alternatively, avoid buying or requesting presents that require batteries.
7. Bring out the best crockery
Avoid using paper cups and plates at your Christmas parties.
8. Buy recycled
Look out for gifts with a high recycled content or made from recycled materials. For ideas, the Recycled Products Guide (RPG) lists 1,000 products made from recycled materials. Log onto
www.recycledproducts.org.uk.
9. Get your guests recycling
Remember to tell guests where your recycling containers are and what goes in them when they stay over Christmas.
10. Get all wrapped up
Check out 'furoshiki' a Japanese-style of wrapping using fabric that can be used over and over again. Watch the video on
www.vimeo.com and follow the instructions.
11. Give your garden a present
Invest in a compost bin and recycle all Christmas dinner vegetable peelings. For more information visit the Recycle Now website.
12. There are tins and then there are tins...
Remember there are lots of Christmas items such as large biscuit and chocolate tins which can be put out for recycling with your food and drink cans.
