Christmas recycling
What can you recycle at Christmas (and what should you avoid buying in the first place)?
Giftwrap: Even wrap that’s purely made of paper tends to be low-quality, short-fibre, highly dyed stuff that Bristol Waste can’t pass on to the recycling companies, so don’t put giftwrap in with your recycling. Bristol Waste suggest using fabric instead, or paper that you can recycle, such as brown paper or even magazine pages! Have a look online for ‘alternatives to wrapping paper’ to see some highly attractive ways of using these and other materials.
Cards: These can be put in with your usual card for recycling, but first you have to tear off any non-card bits such as foil, batteries, fabric or plastic (including patches of glitter).
Christmas trees: Each year, Bristol Waste will usually pick up real trees less than two metres tall for composting, for free. See their calendar at Christmas to find your collection day for trees and put your tree out in the same place as the rest of your normal refuse or recycling.
Cardboard: Even the highly laminated boxes that toys come in can go in with your normal cardboard recycling.
Batteries: As usual, used batteries should go in your black box, ideally in a clear plastic to make them easier for the bin-workers to sort.
Textiles: Got a new scarf or set of teatowels and the old ones are too far gone to go to charity? Black box!
Soft plastic: We’re not aware of any local shops that will accept soft plastic for recycling. Sadly, the nearest seems to be M&S at Cribbs Causeway and if you drive there, you’ll almost certainly burn more fuel than you’ll save by your recycling.
Giftwrap: Even wrap that’s purely made of paper tends to be low-quality, short-fibre, highly dyed stuff that Bristol Waste can’t pass on to the recycling companies, so don’t put giftwrap in with your recycling. Bristol Waste suggest using fabric instead, or paper that you can recycle, such as brown paper or even magazine pages! Have a look online for ‘alternatives to wrapping paper’ to see some highly attractive ways of using these and other materials.
Cards: These can be put in with your usual card for recycling, but first you have to tear off any non-card bits such as foil, batteries, fabric or plastic (including patches of glitter).
Christmas trees: Each year, Bristol Waste will usually pick up real trees less than two metres tall for composting, for free. See their calendar at Christmas to find your collection day for trees and put your tree out in the same place as the rest of your normal refuse or recycling.
Cardboard: Even the highly laminated boxes that toys come in can go in with your normal cardboard recycling.
Batteries: As usual, used batteries should go in your black box, ideally in a clear plastic to make them easier for the bin-workers to sort.
Textiles: Got a new scarf or set of teatowels and the old ones are too far gone to go to charity? Black box!
Soft plastic: We’re not aware of any local shops that will accept soft plastic for recycling. Sadly, the nearest seems to be M&S at Cribbs Causeway and if you drive there, you’ll almost certainly burn more fuel than you’ll save by your recycling.
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