Christmas food
Planning is key!
Let’s start with what many are looking forward to this time of the year… Christmas food!
An estimated 4.2 million Christmas dinners are thrown away every year, much of which could have been avoided. With the increasing cost of food, it is crucial that we prevent as much going to waste as possible.
Planning ahead is very important when it comes to reducing food waste. Start off by writing a meal plan, write what you need and how much of it, check what you already have in your fridge, freezer and cupboards, write a list before heading to the shops and try your best to stick to it!
There will be many multibuy offers this time of the year, so try not to get sucked into them if you don’t need them.
Top Tip: Apps like Microsoft to Do and IOS notes app are great tools for your mobile phone that can be used to make lists and it's especially helpful as it can be shared with your household members so you don’t buy any duplicates.
Perfect portions
If you only need a couple, consider buying loose fruit and vegetables. Remember that most fruit and vegetables are best stored in the fridge to help them stay fresher for longer- exceptions to this are pineapples, bananas and onions.
When writing your list, think about portion sizes needed. If you need some guidance on this, check out the Love Food Hate Waste handy portion planner here.
Here are some portion guides to common Christmas favourites:
Turkey= Roasts on the bone = 350 – 400 grammes per person, Joints off the bone = 250 – 300 grammes per person, Ready cooked, chilled turkey = 150 grammes
Roast potatoes= 225 grammes per person
Brussel sprouts= 4-5 per person (depending on if you and your guest like them)
Love Leftovers
If you do end up buying more than needed, think about how you can creatively use up your Christmas leftovers. Here are some of our favourites.
Decorations
Christmas lights are something we can use year after year. If you no longer need them, consider passing them onto a friend or family member or re-purposing them into something new. They make great decorations for rooms or can be used to make a lamp with an old glass bottle. If they longer work, make sure they are recycled at your local Household Waste Recycling Centre or electrical recycling point.
154 million plus Christmas crackers are pulled every year in the UK. That is a many party hats, bad jokes and tiny toys nobody really wants and often get chucked straight in the bin.
Why not go without or try making your own this year? This way you can add your own personalised and meaningful gifts.
Christmas jumpers are the ultimate festive attire but shockingly, a quarter of people only wear them once and throw them away! If you are after a new one, try buying a second-hand one or upcycle one from an existing jumper. Find out more here.
Gifts
A great way of reducing waste at Christmas is buying second hand. You can use websites like eBay, Depop, Facebook Marketplace, Vinted and Gumtree or even your local charity shop to see if you can find preloved treasures such as boardgames, vintage video games, vinyl records, clothes and accessories, homeware, and books. Also, why not search local small businesses for sustainable gift ideas.
Looking for a zero waste option? Try virtual gift cards, experience days or reusable gadgets such as water bottles, tote bags and hot drinks cups.
Wrapping paper can be difficult to recycle as it's often coated in plastic, metals, glitter, sticky tape or other embellishments. Some Council’s also do not accept wrapping paper in their recycling collections so be sure to check their website before you throw it away.
Reusable gift boxes and bags are great alternatives that can be used again and again or why not be creative and wrap in old newspapers and magazines which can be easily recycled afterwards.
Recycling and Composting
Check your collections
Over the Christmas period, there may be some changes to your waste collections. Find the most up to date information on your Council’s website.
Cardboard
Had a lot of parcels recently? Your not the only one, the UK uses a massive 300,000 tonnes of cardboard throughout the festive period! Try to have orders shipped in the fewest number of parcels and re-purpose the packaging for wrapping presents. If not, don’t forget to flatten your boxes to use as little space as possible in your recycling bin.
Glass Bottles and jars
Did you know that every tonne of glass recycled into new bottles and jars saves the equivalent carbon dioxide to charging 74,000 smart phones? So don’t forget to recycle them over the Christmas period.
Batteries
600 million batteries are thrown away each year in the UK. If they are not disposed of correctly, they can cause fires and explosions in bin lorries and at waste treatment facilities and are a waste of precious and valuable metals. Most stores that sell batteries have a recycling point for them so look out for these in the supermarket, DIY stores, and toy stores.
Why not invest in some rechargeable batteries this Christmas? Although they can initially cost more, they can be used again and again and save you money in the long run.
Top Tip: If you are unsure about recycling or if something can be recycled, check out Recycle Now's recycling tool here
Composting at Christmas
Veg peelings from your Christmas dinner, egg shells from Christmas bakes, your real Christmas tree after the festive season and cardboard from parcels can all be composted. Find out more about home composting here.
Have a wonderful Christmas!
From the team here at Waste Less South Yorkshire, we wish you and your families a very happy Christmas and New Year and want to say a huge thank you for all your reducing, reusing ,recycling and composting efforts this year! It really does make a huge difference to our planet.
Remember! we will be posting Christmas tips all of December on our social media, so like and follow to stay up to date! #WasteLessXmas