Five top tips for recycling this Christmas - 10.12.09

With Christmas fast approaching, Sutton Council is urging residents to remember to reduce, reuse and recycle over the festive season.

The amount of waste we all produce increases over the holidays but there are plenty of services available to make sure we enjoy a sustainable, as well as merry Christmas.

Details of revised waste and recycling collection dates over the holiday period are also available on the council website.

Here are five top festive tips from the council's recycling officers:

• Enjoy the Christmas spirit but remember to put all your drink cans, bottles and cartons into your green wheeled bin or blue box.

• Compost your kitchen scraps. All uncooked fruit and vegetable scraps, like potato peelings and brussel sprout trimmings, can go in your compost bin and be converted into nutrients for the garden.

• Recycle cards and wrapping paper. You can put any cards, envelopes or wrapping paper in your green wheeled bin or look out for card collections in high street stores including WHSmith and Marks & Spencer.

• Give old presents a new lease of life. If Father Christmas brought everything on your wish list, find out how to reuse or recycle old items like toys, mobile phones and electrical goods. You can take them to charity shops or local charities like the Vine Project run reuse schemes.

• Recycle your Christmas tree. Sutton Council's Christmas tree collections start on Monday 11 January and finish on Friday 22 January. Please leave your tree out on your normal green wheeled bin recycling collection day.

A huge range of items can also be taken to the neighbourhood recycling centres across the borough or to the Reuse and Recycling Centre in Kimpton Park Way, with full details available on the council website.

Cllr Colin Hall, Executive Member for Environment on Sutton Council, said:

"I hope everyone in Sutton has a relaxing and enjoyable festive season but also think green this Christmas.

"These are simple things we can all do in the home to help reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.

"Both the council and local charities offer a range of services that will help reduce, reuse or recycle waste."

Last updated: Tuesday, 15 December 2009