Festive Recycling Tips

Buying gifts - every Christmas £42 million worth of unwanted Christmas presents are disposed of as landfill. Many unwanted gifts end up disposed of within grey household bins in Dundee, destined for incineration via the Energy from Waste (EfW) process. Please consider the below actions to reduce the impact Christmas waste and its associated costs:

• Shopping local;
• Avoid buying items with excess packaging;
• Purchasing gifts via second-hand shops or online resale websites;
• Keeping receipts so unwanted gifts can be returned;
• Donating unwanted items to charity shops;
• Upcycling, repurposing or regifting or household items you may no longer need.

• 'Real' trees are recyclable and can be shredded to produce Discovery Compost. Remember to remove all tinsel and decorations and any pots or stands.
• Further information regarding collections of 'Real' Christmas Trees including an online booking form can be found here.
• Artificial trees are made from a combination of materials and therefore cannot be recycled.

Leftovers can be turned into delicious meals reducing food waste and saving households money. Please check the Love Food Hate Waste website for leftover recipes. Leftover meals can even be frozen and enjoyed at a later date.

Recycle leftover cooked and uncooked food (which cannot be eaten) using green food caddy or shared food bin. This includes:

• Egg shells;
• Fruit and vegetable peelings;
• Tea bags and coffee granules;
• Bones.

Please consider buying loose fruit and vegetables to reduce waste associated with food packaging.

• Reuse gift bags and wrapping paper to re-gift the following Christmas.
• Place in blue bins (paper & cardboard)
• Please try to remove large amounts of Sellotape.
• Wrapping paper made with metallic film or glitter cannot be recycled. Place in grey bins (non-recyclable waste).

• Cardboard boxes - flatten and place in blue bins (paper & cardboard). Please consider reusing to re-gift for future events.
• Plastic packaging - Place in burgundy bins (metals, plastics & cartons).
• Polysterene - Place in grey bins (non-recyclable waste). Do not place in Burgundy recycling bins as polysterene cannot be recycled.
• Bubble wrap - Recycle using supermarket plastic bags and wrapping recycling scheme or place in non-recyclable grey bins.

Electrical items can be donated to the Reuse Hub, recycled at either Household Waste Recycling Centres or donated to a local charity. Batteries can also be recycled at the Household Waste Recycling Centres or at select supermarket collection points.

Annually £42 million worth of unwanted Christmas presents are sent to landfill annually, please consider reuse by donating these gifts to a local charity initiative.

Please remember to remove any plastic film from the tubs and trays and rinse these out.

Sweetie wrappers cannot be recycled and must go into the grey bins (non-recyclable waste).

• Place in burgundy bins (metals, plastics & cartons).
• Rinse out and squash. Please ensure materials are clean and free of food residue.
• Mince pie cases, turkey tins, empty drinks cans and food tins are all accepted in burgundy recycling bins.

• Please recycle at local neighbourhood Recycling Points, Bring Sites or Household Waste Recycling Centres.
• Drinks bottles, jars and perfume bottles (empty) are all accepted within glass recycling bins.

• Do not place in burgundy bins (metals, plastics & cartons);
• Recycle using supermarket plastic bags and wrapping recycling scheme or place in grey bins (non-recycleable waste);
• Alternatively, help save the environment and avoid a charge by reusing them for your next shop or use a reusable bag.

• Plastic toys - Donate at the Reuse Hub, a local charity shop or dispose of at Household Waste Recycling Centres;
• Textiles - Donate to a local charity shop or via our network of Textile Banks. Certain retailers offer an in-store textile recycling service.

• Batteries can be recycled at local supermarket collection points or Household Waste Recycling Centres.
• Electrical items - Donate at the Reuse Hub, a local charity shop or dispose of at Household Waste Recycling Centres.
• Never put batteries or electricals with built-in batteries in your household bins. Many Christmas gifts - like e-scooters, e-bikes, phones, laptops, and power tools - contain lithium batteries. If these aren't disposed of properly, they can cause fires, explosions, and serious harm.
• Please consider buying reusable batteries.

Christmas Tree Lights - Please note these cannot be recycled in any household bins. Christmas tree lights can be recycled at Riverside or Baldovie recycling centres at the small electricals (WEEE) section.