Top waste tips for Christmas

Jacqui Kennedy, Acting Strategic Director for Place, blogs on what citizens can do to better manage their bins over the busy Christmas period…

Jacqui Kennedy

Jacqui Kennedy - Acting Strategic Director for Place

As we near Christmas, we are mindful that in order to give our hardworking bins crews some well-deserved time off, we don’t collect bins on Christmas Day, Boxing Day or the Bank Holidays that replace those two days.

So, I thought it was important to take the opportunity to blog about how we can all manage our rubbish more effectively at this time of the year given that some households will miss a collection because of this.

In recognition that more waste is created, we do take extra recycling (cardboard securely bundled with string next to recycling bins) and side waste (bags/sacks placed next to household wheelie bins) when they are next picked up as scheduled.

But even better than this, why not plan and prepare in advance by removing unnecessary packaging in advance and have it collected in any pre-Christmas collections that you still have to come? This will free up space for the following collections.

Also, we mustn’t forget research that suggests by thinking more carefully about what we do, the average Brummie family can save £700 per year by avoiding  food waste - and a lot of that will be around Christmas time.

So, thinking about how you can use leftovers or not buying excess food in the first place might be a good way to tackle the festive waste issue.

We’ve created a waste tips video advent calendar with all sorts of hints and tips for how to reduce, re-use and recycle waste at Christmas – it is well worth a look.

Sadly, based on past experience, we know this time of the year does increase the risk and temptation for people to fly-tip.

However, what we will not stand for is random fly-tipping. You may recall last year that a “mountain” of bags appeared in south Birmingham. We investigated and were able to identify two of the culprits who were dealt with by the courts recently. We have a zero tolerance approach to fly-tipping and will pursue those responsible.

Also, the city’s five Household Recycling Centres are open every day except Christmas Day and Boxing Day and once we reach the new year, our annual Christmas tree recycling service will be offered at four city parks.

So, in summary, there are plenty of things you can do to responsibly dispose of your waste (ideally minimising it in the first place).

Merry Christmas to everyone in Birmingham!

Merry Christmas from all at Birmingham City Council!

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