‘Tis the season to recycle…

…..Fa la la la la la la la la.

Hey everyone!

How was your Christmas? I get it, it’s not for everyone and if that’s you, then I hope you’re having a good winter break. I definitely enjoy the season of good cheer, there’s so much joy floating around, it’s infectious!

So anyway, after buying all the wrapping paper, name tags, ribbons and bows, gift boxes and bags that you could imagine, searching the house for a lost pair of scissors and desperately trying to track down that last roll of sellotape and spending hours upon hours wrapping gifts for Christmas… it is officially over!

So, what happens to all the rubbish? Do you bin it or recycle it?

Let’s admit it, Christmas can be one of the most wasteful times of year – we throw away so much food, pour cups of leftover drinks down the drains, gift tags, wrapping paper etc… lots of it gets chucked in the bin.

Today I wanted to write a post about recycling and together, we can all care more about helping the natural environment (especially at this time of the year).

Wrapping paper is one of those materials that fills up a roll of black bags in no time, but not all wrapping paper is fit for recycling – some foiled, some laminated, some dyed, some containing plastic and others decorated with glitter. Sometimes wrapping paper can be difficult to recycle since some people have different ideas about how to wrap Christmas gifts – do you know the kind of present that’s layered with sellotape?

My point is you might need to do some research (and check with your local council) to find out which wrapping paper can go straight into general waste and which can be recycled. Ever heard of the scrunch test?

I’ve received a load of Christmas cards this year and can you guess where they’ll be going? That’s right, in the bin, but I’ll be recycling the cards that don’t have foil or glitter on them. A little trick I’ve learned, to make sure that I’m doing my bit for the environment and not responsible for excessive waste, is to tear the card in half and recycle the back of the card (if the front can’t be recycled). It might be a little time consuming but hey, for a healthier environment, it’s worth it.

I do think that many people are still confused about what can be recycled and how to recycle. The sad thing is that there are harmful chemicals and greenhouse gases which are released from the rubbish in landfill sites and even though recycling doesn’t require as much energy consumption, a high percentage of people still fail to do it.

Recycling might seem inconvenient and there might not be an incentive or immediate reward but helping our environment is one of the best investments that you can make, for a cleaner world.

It’s best to check guidelines on recycling and why not turn it into a family affair – teaching our children the importance of recycling also gives them some responsibility.

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful New Year’s celebration!

SBS