Reduce your waste at Christmas and Recycle

Over the festive period, 30% more glass bottles and jars, food and drinks cans, paper and cardboard will be thrown away.

Christmas shopping

• Take re-usable shopping bags or carrier bags with you.
• Buy gifts made from recycled materials and with minimal packaging.
• Buy wrapping paper and cards which can be recycled. Plain cards without glitter, glue or decorations can be recycled. For wrapping paper, remember the scrunch test! If it scrunches, it can be recycled. Remove sticky tape and decorations before recycling. Foil wrapping paper cannot be recycled.
• If you're buying electrical goods, check if the shop has a 'take back' service to recycle any old items which you might be replacing.
• Buy rechargeable batteries for electrical goods and toys.
• Get rid of packaging and wrapping paper altogether
• Go for an alternative gift - eg plant a tree, adopt an animal.
• Go for a gift experience - eg theatre tickets, days out, wine tasting.
• Send an e-Christmas card.
• Use a re-usable gift bag.

Batteries

Please do not put old batteries in household bins as they can be a fire risk. Many supermarkets and schools collect old batteries, or you can take them to your Recycling centres (tips) or one of the collection points for small electrical and battery operated items in the county.

Christmas trees

• Buy an artificial tree.
• If you purchase a real tree, source it from a sustainable grower and make sure it has Forest Stewardship Council accreditation.

Recycle your real tree at one of our Recycling centres (tips) or you can request to have your real tree collected for free by booking this in between 11 December and 7 January 2024. We will be collecting real Christmas trees that are booked in starting the 8 January 2024. See Christmas tree collections for more information.

Local charities such as St Cuthbert's Hospice and Butterwick Hospice Care are also offering a collection in parts of the County for a donation to their charity. 

Unwanted presents

Sell, give or exchange with work colleagues, family and friends, or donate to charity any unwanted Christmas presents rather than throwing them away.

Unwanted furniture and electrical goods

Look into reusing furniture and household items or take them to one of our Recycling centres (tips). Many stores operate a take back scheme and you can hand over your old electrical items when you get new ones. We run a county wide collection scheme for unwanted or broken small electrical and battery operated items. See Waste electrical and electronic equipment (weee) recycling to find your nearest collection point to recycle.

Festive food

• Plan your Christmas meals ahead. 
• Write a shopping list and sort out your freezer before going for your food shop.
• Try Composting your fruit and veg peelings.
• Make use of your leftovers, using websites such as BBC's GoodFood leftover recipes and Love food, hate waste for ideas.

After the party's over - recycling

Make the most of your fortnightly recycling collection to recycle your wrapping paper, cards, drinks bottles, cans and cardboard packaging.

Wrapping paper

Plain wrapping paper (not foil) can be recycled, but if it has glitter or it is plastic or foil based it cannot be recycled and should be placed in your rubbish bin. Remove bows, tags, ribbon and sticky tape before recycling plain wrapping paper. Remember the scrunch test! If it scrunches, it can be recycled. If it doesn't, it can't.

Extra cardboard

Recycle flattened cardboard in your recycling bin or at one of our Recycling centres (tips). Place extra cardboard by your bin and we will take it away as long as it is dry. If the cardboard is wet, we cannot recycle it.

Extra recycling over Christmas

If you have extra recycling, place it in a clear plastic bag (not a carrier bag or bin bag) next to your recycling bin and we will take it away.

Christmas card recycling

• Use your kerbside blue-lidded recycling bin - only plain cards without stickers, glitter and decorations.
• Make use of supermarket Christmas card recycling facilities.
• Cut them up to make next year's festive gift tags.

Unwanted presents

Sell or donate unwanted Christmas presents rather than throwing them away.

Unwanted furniture and electrical goods

Look into reusing furniture and household items or take them to one of our Recycling centres (tips). Many stores operate a take back scheme and you can hand over your old electrical items when you get new ones. See Waste electrical and electronic equipment (weee) recycling.

Watch our festive recycling video 

Watch the County Hall singers with their festive rendition of what to recycle this Christmas:

Transcript - Recycle for Christmas with the County Hall Singers (PDF, 45.6kb)