It’s safe to say that Christmas is going to look quite different for a lot of us this year, but what remains the same is how it’s so important to stay on top of our recycling – especially if you’re one of the many people who like to plan ahead.
Lots of you are probably already thinking about Christmas, and you might even have bought some of the things you’re going to need.
When you’re buying stuff for Christmas, please consider whether or not these things are recyclable. We’re continuing to get better at recycling in Wrexham, and we need to keep our momentum going all the way through the festive period.
Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport said, “Once again, we’re asking people to think about which materials can be recycled as they buy things in the lead up to Christmas. Wrapping paper is always a good example, as some people still think all wrapping paper is recyclable, but this isn’t the case. So, it’s important to stay on top of which ones can be recycled so that you can make informed choices when buying these items.
“We’re asking our residents to stick to recyclable materials as much as possible, so please take the time to read this information, which will help you understand the things you can recycle, and where you can recycle them. Christmas is a period where people have larger amounts of materials than usual, and we want to make sure we recycle as many of them as we can.”
Wrapping paper
As Cllr Bithell touched upon, not all types of wrapping papers are recyclable. The shiny foil wrapping is non-recyclable, so please stay away from this. Wrapping with glitter is also non-recyclable.
Most other shiny wrapping papers are laminated, making them non-recyclable too. You also need to look out if the paper has any plastic add-ons and avoid these.
The good news is all other wrapping papers should be fine to recycle. If you stay away from foils, glitters, laminated paper and any plastic add-ons, you should be able to recycle all your wrapping paper when you’ve finished with it…just make sure to remove any sticky tape beforehand 🙂
Tip: Christmas cards (without glitter and any bows removed) as well as envelopes can be recycled in your blue bag/top wheelie box. Paper and card gift bags can be recycled here too – just remember to remove any non-recyclable handles.
Cardboard
There’s always plenty of cardboard boxes involved at Christmas and it’s important to recycle these. Have a look at this guide on cardboard recycling in Wrexham, which will help to keep you on the right track.
If you have extra cardboard to recycle: We will collect clean, flattened cardboard left by recycling containers as long as it is no larger in height or width than a standard issue blue sack.
Tip: Please remove any additional wrapping, such as polystyrene or films, from cardboard boxes before recycling them.
We’re unable to collect any extra bags of general rubbish left at the side of your black/blue rubbish bin. This waste will need to be put in your rubbish bin ready for your next scheduled collection or taken to one of our recycling centres.
Reusing items
Decorative bows and ribbons are non-recyclable, so if you use any of these please consider storing them away and reusing them the following year.
If someone surprises you with a new TV or Blu-ray player, please think about what to do with your older models. The Nightingale House reuse shop in Bryn Lane recycling centre would be happy to take them off your hands.
You can also donate any unwanted Christmas gifts to the reuse shop. We’re sure they’d be very grateful.
Bottles and cans
You’ll probably have more glass bottles, plastic bottles and aluminium cans than usual at Christmas but please remember to recycle them the same as you would for the rest of the year.
If your recycling boxes get full, you can leave any extra recyclables in solid containers next to your other recycling on your collection day and we’ll recycle the materials (leaving the containers behind for you to reuse again).
But if you do have extra recycling, please separate the materials as you usually would…for example, if you have extra plastic bottles and glass, please put the plastic in one container and the glass in a separate container.
Tip: Large sweet tins can be recycled alongside your cans and plastics in your wheelie box/recycling boxes.
Food waste
Christmas also means lots of turkey bones and leftovers that can be recycled in your food caddy, so don’t neglect food recycling.
For a reminder on what foods are recyclable, please take a look at this blog.
Don’t forget, if you’re running low on caddy liners, just tie an empty liner to your caddy handle on your collection day and we’ll leave you a new roll, free of charge. Simple!
Tip: You can take real Christmas trees to be recycled at our recycling centres, if they won’t fit in your green bin.
Household recycling centres
You can take many other items to one of our recycling centres to be recycled. Take a look at this list of materials we can recycle at our recycling centres.
Thanks for taking the time to read this blog, and as always thanks for recycling 🙂
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