How to recycle like a champ on Boxing Day

Zero Waste Scotland chief executive Iain Gulland said: “Christmas can sometimes feel like the season of excess, and we’ve all woken up with a turkey hangover and a big pile of wrapping paper and boxes on Boxing Day.

“Instead of sending all of that packaging to landfill, get a kick start on your planning for 2015 and see what you can put aside for re-use, or recycle We’ve come up with some simple tips to beat the wrap over the Christmas holidays and help people to reuse and recycle to reuse where they possibly can.

Re-use:

– Gift bags, boxes and wrapping paper are easy to re-use – unwrap carefully, remove tape and tags, and keep them give to different friends or family next year. No one will ever know!

– Consider the Japanese tradition of furoshiki – wrapping gifts in re-usable fabric

– If you do use wrapping paper and want to re-use it then buy good quality paper which is less likely to tear

– Why not save torn wrapping paper, tags, bows etc for rainy-day arts projects with the wee ones.

– If you and your friends and families haven’t made a switch to e-cards, you can re-use your Christmas cards as shopping lists – tear the cards in half, and then recycle them once you’ve exhausted the January sales.

Recycle:

– When recycling paper, remember to remove all tape, tags, bows and ribbons.

– Good quality, plain wrapping paper is more likely to be accepted for recycling. Paper that is laminated or contains glitter or metallic effects is less likely to be accepted.

– Cards – we all love them, but come Boxing Day we’ll probably have loads of envelopes and cards on our hands. Why not re-use them as shopping lists by tearing cards in half, then later recycling them. Don’t forget to recycle envelopes.

– Many retailers also offer Christmas card recycling services in their stores.

Brad Allen