Recycling tips for the festive season

There are lots of ways that you can have a more sustainable Christmas and Walsall Council is urging residents to recycle this Christmas to show some seasonal kindness to the planet. 

Here are some top Christmas recycling tips from Walsall Council.

• Christmas cards - Most cards are made of paper or card and so they can be recycled in your green bin at home, along with the envelopes. Dispose of any cards with glitter or foil in your grey bin.                                    
• Christmas trees - Real Christmas trees are more sustainable and can be readily recycled at the household recycling sites in Merchants Way in Aldridge and Fryers Road in Bloxwich. Just remember to remove all decorations and any stands or pots before you take them for recycling. Artificial trees are not the best choice, but some can be recycled, and the plastic can be reused. The council is unable to recycle artificial trees, so they shouldn’t be put in a green recycling bin.                                                                 
• Christmas tree lights - Christmas tree lights usually have plugs or batteries, so they are classed as WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment). They have to be recycled properly, so please take them to your Household Waste and Recycling Centre.                                                                                                                    
• Baubles - Glass baubles aren’t recyclable. Any broken baubles should be wrapped carefully and put in with your general waste (grey bin). Plastic baubles are usually made from plastics that aren’t widely collected yet in the UK. Also, they may be decorated with glitter, which is tough to recycle, so they should be put in with your general waste (grey bin).                                                                                                                     
• Tinsel - Tinsel can’t be recycled, so please put it in your general waste (grey bin).                                                
• Wrapping paper - Most gift wrap can be recycled in your green recycling bin. The general test is to scrunch it in your hand and if it stays scrunched when you open your hand, it can be recycled. Wrapping paper with excessive tape, glitter, and other embellishments is best put in with your general waste.             
• Cardboard boxes - The rise of online shopping means that most of us will accumulate lots of cardboard boxes when buying gifts. Most cardboard can be recycled, just flatten the boxes and remove excess packing tape and any plastic or polystyrene before you recycle it in your green bin or take it to your local Household Waste and Recycling Centre.                                                                                                                                            
• Batteries - Many of us get toys for the kids or gadgets so we may buy more batteries at this time of year that are going to eventually need recycling. Batteries are classed as hazardous waste because they contain chemicals, so they have to be disposed of correctly. Some retailers have collection points, or they can be taken to your Local Household Waste and Recycling Centre.                                                                          
• Food waste - Tie up all food waste, such as turkey bones, vegetable peelings, and leftovers, in a bag and place it in your general waster (grey bin).  The council doesn’t recycle food, but more importantly, food can contaminate what is otherwise great stuff for recycling, like cardboard and the council’s wagons can be turned away from the reprocessing site and instead incur higher costs for landfill or incineration.                 
• Buy LED Christmas lights - LED lights use around 75% less energy and last longer than other types of lights, saving money and kinder to the planet.                                                                                                                   
• Buy decorations that are built to last and choose decorations that are made from recycled wood or glass. These are a far better choice than plastic decorations. They’ll last longer and they’re far more sustainable.                                                                                                                                                                                                
• Reuse gift wrapping - Reuse gift bags, boxes, tissue paper, and ribbon from last year. If they’re in good condition, why not reuse them rather than binning them and buying new? It’s better for your pocket and for the planet.                                                                                                                                                                             
• Stick to a list when you go food shopping - Everything is done to excess at Christmas, especially the food and drink. Write a shopping list before you hit the supermarket and stick to it. Impulse buys are wasteful, and they cost you a bomb at a time of year when you really don’t need any extra expense. When you hit the shops, be sure to take your reusable bags with you.  After the big day, make sure that you make good use of your leftovers and freeze what you know you won’t be able to eat in time. 

Eat, drink, and have a sustainably Merry Christmas! 

Notes to editors

To find out more about what  what goes in your bins, visit https://go.walsall.gov.uk/bins/what-goes-your-bins

Information about the council’s Household Waste Recycling Centres can be found at:

https://go.walsall.gov.uk/bins/find-household-waste-recycling-centres-tips  
 

Fryers Road Household Waste Recycling Centre in Bloxwich and Merchants Way Household Waste Recycling Centre in Aldridge will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

Webcams can be viewed on the pages for the Bloxwich and Aldridge sites. 

More information about Christmas waste collections can be found at: https://go.walsall.gov.uk/bins/christmas-waste-collections

Residents can check their bin collection dates by using the postcode finder at https://go.walsall.gov.uk/bins/check-your-bin-collection-dates  

One extra bag of waste per household will only be permitted where scheduled collections have been subject to change. 

Recycling and waste services are subject to change in the event of extreme weather. 

Christmas Day - Wednesday 25 December 2024. 

No bin collections on this day. 

Your bin will be collected on this revised day - Saturday 21 December 2024. 

Boxing Day - Thursday 26 December 2024. 

No bin collections on this day 

Your bin will be collected on this revised day - Saturday 28 December 2024. 

New Year’s Day - Wednesday 1 January 2025. 

No bin collections on this day 

Your bin will be collected on this revised day - Saturday 4 January 2025. 

You can report a missed bin collection on the council website:

https://go.walsall.gov.uk/apply/myaccount-online-services/report-missed-bin-collection  

Walsall Council offers a bulky items collection service for residents who may struggle to take larger items to a Household Waste Recycling Centre. This can be booked through the council website at:

https://go.walsall.gov.uk/bins/find-household-waste-recycling-centres-tips

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