Gedling borough residents are being urged to use the Recycling Checker this season and recycle right.
Residents in Notts are expected to produce 30% more waste this festive season, more than at any other time of the year.
To help reduce the impact of this extra waste, Nottinghamshire County Council and Veolia, the county’s waste and recycling partner, are asking residents to make sure they recycle right this Christmas.
From food to gift shopping, the increase in consumption associated with festive season waste is staggering.
In the UK alone, there will be enough wrapping paper thrown away to stretch all the way to the moon. A whopping 17.2 million sprouts will also be thrown in the bin and 150 million cards will be sent, many of which cannot be recycled.
To better manage this waste, Nottinghamshire residents are being urged to download the MyNotts app and use the Recycling Checker, which allows people to enter their postcode into the app, along with the item that they want to recycle and it will tell them either which bin to put it in or if they need to take it to one of the 12 recycling centres across Notts open daily 8am until 4pm, except New Year’s Day – including the centre at Calverton.
Steven Newman, Veolia Nottinghamshire general manager, says: “We are looking forward to the holiday season this year and being able to meet family and friends again.
“We want residents to enjoy themselves. However, as a county we generate tonnes of rubbish and we all need to work together to give a gift to the planet and recycle right.
Councillor Neil Clarke MBE, council cabinet member for transport and environment said: “The new Recycling Checker that is available on the MyNotts App is really a gift that keeps on giving.
“If you have any doubts over the items you are recycling then checking is just a tap away.”
Top tips for recycling right:
Recycle that cardboard
A lot of Christmas gifts will be delivered in recyclable cardboard packaging. It’s estimated that we could make a cardboard motorway stretching from Nottinghamshire to Lapland and back – 111 times – with all the card packaging we use at Christmas. Make sure you flatten cardboard and put it in your recycling bin to keep it dry and place the other packaging such as bubble wrap and polystyrene in your general waste bin.
Scrunch test your wrapping paper
Did you know, paper or cards with glitter and/or foil can’t be recycled? The scrunch test is a helpful way to test whether your Christmas wrapping paper is recyclable. Scrunch the paper in your hand and if it stays in a ball, it can be put into the recycling bin. Remember to remove sellotape, ribbons, bows and other adornments before sticking it in the recycling bin.
Don’t bin the festive fairy lights
Fairy lights and other electronic Christmas decorations may be classed as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). These items must not be put in kerbside waste bins but disposed of at designated sites such as household waste recycling centres. All 12 of Nottinghamshire’s recycling centres will be taking such WEEE.
Don’t be a turkey this Christmas
Who doesn’t love leftovers? Christmas dinner stays fresh for at least a few days after the big event and for months or more if you put it in the freezer. You can freeze cooked turkey and use it to make a new meal; if you’re sick of turkey and cranberry sandwiches, why not be creative and try making a turkey curry? Recipes can be found on the Veolia website.
Check batteries are not in the bin
Hidden batteries in electricals or packaging can start fires when crushed in recycling and rubbish lorries so must not be placed in the kerbside bins at home. Batteries are hidden in many new gifts so don’t throw them away. Make sure you recycle them separately at one of the 12 recycling centres.
Recycling centres
The 12 Recycling Centres across Nottinghamshire will be running normal winter opening hours from 8am until 4pm every day. All the centres are closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Full information on the wide range of items that can be taken to the sites, can be found on the County Council website: www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/recycling
