Shop smart and save money this Christmas
This Christmas Warwickshire residents are being called upon to think about the amount of food and packaging they use over the festive season.
Warwickshire County Council is urging the county’s residents to consider their purchases as each year people buy more food than is needed and, combined with unwanted presents and packaging, up to 30% more waste is created than at any other time of the year.
To help residents the council has continued its ShopSmart campaign offering people advice on how to become Shop Smart this Christmas. Advice includes writing a shopping list to help ensure you only buy things that you need.
Cllr Martin Heatley, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for the Environment, said: “We are not being at all ‘Bah! Humbug’ about Christmas, and want people to enjoy the festive period. But the facts speak for themselves and again this year we could see thousands of extra tonnes of waste going into landfill needlessly.
“Although it may sound old fashioned, a shopping list really can make the difference when shopping. You focus on finding the items on the list rather than being drawn in by the offers. If the item you want is on a special offer that’s great, but if it isn’t you probably don’t really need it.”
Packaging is another problem at Christmas, but if chosen wisely it is easy to reduce the amount you put in your. For example, try to buy packaging that can be recycled such as glass and cans and plastic containers can now be recycled at the local Household Recycling Centres now. Some supermarkets also now offer packaging that is completely compostable in some of their ranges.
Food and drink
Buy your fruit and veg naked (without packaging!) and then you can pick the best ones too!
When shopping for your Christmas feast, use a re-usable shopping bag or re-use old plastic bags.
Bigger is better! Buy drinks in bigger bottles rather than small ones. One large bottle generates less waste than several smaller ones.
If you don’t have a doorstep recycling service, remember to drop when you shop! Take your drinks bottles to the bottle bank for recycling when you next go to the supermarket. Visit http://www.recyclenow.com and go to ‘Where can I recycle?’
Don’t forget to put the vegetable peelings from your Christmas dinner in your home compost bin.
Gifts
Look out for presents made from recycled materials or those that have recycled content.
Go for gift bags or boxes instead of wrapping paper. A funky gift bag or box can then be re-used for another occasion.
Try different materials instead of wrapping paper – jute cloth, a Christmas themed table cloth or simply just tie a silk or velvet bow around the gift – simple but eye catching and they can be re-used many times.
Stick to tradition and put presents inside a Christmas stocking that can be reused next year.
Why not use old comics, magazines, newspapers or pantomime programmes to wrap presents that can all be recycled after the festivities.
Buy wrapping paper made from 100 per cent recycled materials.
Buy rechargeable batteries for all the children’s news toys and electrical gadgets - for every 500 charges you’ll save 499 batteries being thrown away!
Cards
Try sending e-cards this year. E-cards mean no paper at all but the sentiments are still there.
Keep the Christmas cards you receive this year and re-use them next year as gift tags or to make in to cards again.
Eat your words! Why not make biscuits or buns with icing messages instead.
Save money and the environment – why not donate the money you normally spend on cards to a charity?
Or make sure you buy cards made from 100 per cent recycled materials.
Remember to recycle your Christmas cards and donate them to a Christmas card recycling scheme - you can find collection bins in many of the high street retailers.
General
Use your local doorstep recycling service to recycle your Christmas waste. Visit http://www.recyclenow.com and enter your postcode details to find out what you can recycle near you.
Start your own compost heap - it’s a great place to put all your vegetable peelings from Christmas dinner, plus all those extra newspapers and cardboard.
To make way for the season’s latest trends and party dresses, you may need to clear out old outfits that haven’t been worn for a while - visit http://www.recyclenow.com to find your nearest textile recycling bank, or pay a visit to a charity or second-hand shop.
Supermarket recycling facilities are a great place to get rid of old boots and shoes. Log onto http://www.recyclenow.com to find your nearest facility.
Recycle real Christmas trees. Many DIY retailers and garden centres offer this service, so have a look on http://www.recyclenow.com and use the postcode locator to find one near you.
Take old toys that have been replaced with new ones to a local children’s centre or charity shop where they can find a good home.
If you receive an ipod this Christmas, you may find yourself downloading and throwing out your old CDs. Make sure you recycle any unwanted ones and log onto http://www.recyclenow.com to find your nearest CD recycling company.
Make a new year’s resolution to recycle more stuff, more often!