Published: 12/12/2017
Copeland residents are being urged to make recycling a part of the festive season.
Coun Mark Holliday, Copeland's portfolio holder for customers and communities, said: “There are lots of extra things you can recycle over Christmas. The wrapping paper, extra cans and bottles from parties, card from toy packaging and Christmas cards can all be recycled, either through our kerbside recycling service or by taking it to one of our bring sites.
“And remember, you can always put out extra recycling, at any time of year. Just make sure it is secure so that it can't blow away.”
The council is sharing top tips to help residents get the most out of recycling this Christmas.
Lots of wrapping paper can be recycled – but some contains metal or plastic. Generally, paper that looks like foil, or has a metallic finish, cannot be recycled. Try scrunching the paper into a ball in your hand. If, when you open your hand, it springs out and does not stay crumpled, it probably can’t be recycled.
Here are some other tips for Christmas recycling:
*Remove the sticky tape from your gift wrapping
*Don't include curling ribbon or stick-on bows, which are made of plastic
*Only recycle gift bags if they are made of plain paper or card - a foil finish can't be recycled.
*If you have brown paper from parcels, please include it with your card recycling.
*Online delivery boxes can be taken to your nearest bring site - remember to take out any polystyrene and packing tape, and flatten it down as much as possible.
*Christmas cards - glitter can't be recycled so tear off that part as well as any batteries or badges.
*Cans and bottles from the festivities can of course be recycled. Keep the metal tops on your bottles as these will be recycled too
*Aluminium food trays can be recycled, just give them a rinse.
*Those big biscuit tins can be added to your tins and cans for recycling
*The clean foil from your turkey can be put in your black box with cans, or taken to a bring site. Just make sure it's scrunched into a ball so that it doesn't blow away.
*Christmas trees - the most environmentally-friendly option is an artificial tree, but if you have a real one, cut it up and add it to your brown garden bin for when collections restart in the spring.
Coun Holliday added: "Christmas can bring a lot of extra waste, and it would be great to see as much as possible recycled. These tips mean we can all do our bit while enjoying the festive season with friends and family."
