Christmas recycling - free Christmas tree collection 4-17 January

Details of the Council's special recycling services over the holidays from our colleague Chris Knight:

From tree and card recycling to advice on waste free presents Camden Council is spreading some festive cheer this month by helping residents have an eco friendly Christmas.

Over December and January approximately 250 tonnes of Christmas trees, 13,350 tonnes of glass, 4,500 tonnes of tin foil and enough wrapping paper to reach the moon are thrown away in the UK.

In a bid to tackle the increase in waste and help the environment Camden Council is offering its residents a range of free services and advice.

These include a free Christmas tree collection from 4 to 17 January to enable real trees to be recycled. For those with unwanted gifts a post-Christmas give and take day will be taking place at Highgate New Town Community Centre on 23 January.

Councillor Chris Knight, Executive Member for Environment, Camden Council said: "We have tried to make it as easy as possible for residents to protect the environment this Christmas.

"Christmas can be a wasteful time of year and we are keen that rubbish is either reduced or as much as possible is composted and recycled. We would especially encourage as many people as possible to recycle their trees - this ensures they are composted and put to good use. Last year we recycled 8,500 tree it would be great to beat this figure!"

The Council is also running Christmas road shows providing top eco tips for residents. The advice includes giving 'invisible presents' such as a special day out, taking reusable bags Christmas shopping, buying seasonal food with less packaging from the local market and saving all cans, bottles, paper and card for recycling.

Other tips and advice for an eco-friendly Christmas include:
- Avoid serving food and drink on disposable plates and cups - borrow extra crockery instead;
- Find recipes for left over Christmas food at www.lovefoodhatewaste.com
- Reduce wrapping waste by using 'furoshiki' a Japanese-style of wrapping presents with material which can then be reused. Watch the video on www.recyclenow.com; and
- Buy rechargeable batteries this year for children's toys and electrical goods and help save on the millions of batteries that go to landfill each year.

For more information about recycling and waste prevention in Camden, including Christmas recycling collections, go to www.camden.gov.uk/recycling.