More rubbish is generated in the East Riding over the Christmas and New Year holiday than any other time of the year.
But the good news is … most of it can be recycled. Christmas trees, cards, wrapping paper, cardboard boxes … even the turkey bones left over from Christmas dinner … can all be recycled in residents’ blue or brown bins.
Last year more than 9,700 tonnes of waste was collected from East Riding households over the festive holiday.
And thanks to the brilliant efforts of residents, more than half of that was recycled. Now East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s waste and recycling officers are offering advice to residents to help them recycle even more this year.
Councillor Symon Fraser, the council’s portfolio holder for strategic asset management, housing and environment, said:
“I want to thank East Riding residents for being fantastic recyclers all year round and I know they will recycle as much waste as they can over the Christmas holidays.”
Here’s the recycling guide for Christmas and New Year:
Christmas bin collections
Residents in the East Riding will receive their 2018 bin collection calendars through the post, which will also show them this year’s Christmas and New Year bin collection dates.
People can also find their own festive collection dates online at the website bins.eastriding.gov.uk by simply typing in their postcode.
They can also sign up for the council’s free text message reminder service for bin collections, Details of how to sign up are on the 2018 bin collection calendars, or you can download one from bins.eastriding.gov.uk.
Normal bin collections will resume on Monday 15 January.
The East Riding’s 10 household waste recycling sites will be open from 10am-5pm each day except New Year’s Eve when they will shut at 4pm. They will be closed all day on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
Blue bins
A great deal of the packaging, bottles and tins generated by the Christmas holiday can be recycled in the blue bin. Here are some of the festive items you can put in your blue bin:
• Empty plastic tubs and tins used for sweets and biscuits
• Wrapping paper, Christmas cards and all envelopes
• Newspapers, magazines, books, junk mail
• Cardboard advent calendars
• All cardboard boxes and cardboard packaging (please flatten boxes, remove any polystyrene or plastic packaging). Large cardboard boxes can also be flattened and placed next to blue bins on collection days.
• All empty glass and plastic bottles (please squash plastic bottles, tops can be left on)
• Empty jars, tins and cans
• Plastic tubs and trays, empty juice cartons and cardboard egg boxes
• Tin foil and stock cube wrappers, as long as they are clean.
Any of the above waste which won’t fit in your blue bin over the Christmas and New Year period can be put into carrier bags and left next to your bin on collection day.
They can also be taken to household waste recycling sites. Remember to please separate your waste before visiting the site.
Batteries, polystyrene and crisp packets
Please do not put batteries in your bins. Please take them to supermarkets and local shops which have battery recycling collection boxes, or take them to any household waste recycling site.
Polystyrene should be placed in your green bin, or taken to a household waste recycling site.
Crisp packets should be placed in the green bin.
Clothing and textiles
Please don’t put clothing, textiles, material, shoes or bedding in your bins.
Take them to clothing recycling banks located at 121 mini recycling sites across the East Riding at supermarkets and other sites.
You can also take clothing to charity shops.
Brown bins
Christmas always means lots of festive food… but it can also mean lots of waste food.
Family dinners and festive parties can generate a lot of leftovers which can end up being thrown in the bin.
One way to recycle food is to use your leftovers to create tasty new dishes, which also saves money too. Some useful recipes can be found at www.lovefoodhatewaste.com
Another way is to place all food waste in your brown bins, as it can then be recycled into compost for the garden.
Last Christmas more than 1,800 tonnes of food and garden waste was collected in the East Riding for recycling.
Please put your food waste into your free kitchen caddy liners, or wrap it in newspaper or kitchen roll, before putting it in your brown bin.
All food waste can be recycled in your brown bin, including:
• All cooked or uncooked food … including all plate scrapings
• Turkey, chicken and other bird carcasses and meat bones
• Fruit and vegetable peelings
• Cooked and uncooked meat
• Egg shells
• Small amounts of leftover sauces and gravies
Free kitchen caddy liners are available from all household waste and recycling sites, customer service centres, leisure centres and libraries in the East Riding.
Christmas trees
Real Christmas trees – with all lights and decorations removed – can be recycled by placing them next to your brown bin for collection in January.
Or they can be taken to any household waste recycling site.
Unwanted presents
If you receive a present you don’t want – don’t throw it away.
Instead you can take it along to any household waste recycling site and ask them to pass it on to The Reuse Shop, which benefits local charities and organisations.
The Reuse Shop is based at the Humberfield household waste recycling site, between Hessle and North Ferriby, and sells good quality items such as furniture and electrical goods which people no longer want and have taken to their household waste recycling site.
Or you could give the present to a charity shop or pass it on using websites like ilovefreegle.org or freecycle.org
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