Consumers are more aware of climate change than ever before. As a result of this, many businesses are making the promise of sending zero waste to landfill, but achieving this will often need specialist equipment and transportation, which is where Willshee’s come in.

We operate a zero-waste-to-landfill initiative, meaning that the waste collected as part of our commercial and domestic skip hire services, commercial waste management services and hazardous waste management services, to name a few, will always be handled in an eco-friendly manner.

As such, we’re able to protect the wildlife, our ecosystems and our communities. But what does this have to do with Christmas? An additional 3 million tonnes of waste is generated during the festive season. This is why it’s never been more important to adopt a zero-waste-to-landfill mindset, not just at Christmas, but all year round. But what does it mean to be ‘zero waste’, why should we bother, and how can you achieve it this Christmas season?

What does it mean to be ‘zero-waste’ at Christmas?

To be ‘zero-waste’ is to live a lifestyle that eliminates waste production, or at least minimises it. It prevents waste materials from ending up in landfills, oceans or incinerators, which can harm wildlife, damage ecosystems, and increase greenhouse gases. Those who adopt a zero-waste lifestyle will often live by the’5 Rs’: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and rot (composting).

While this is easy to do for most of the year, people often find it more difficult to maintain during the Christmas period, but why? There are many reasons why someone might find it more challenging to be zero-waste at Christmas, such as overspending. Consumers will often buy more food than usual during the festive period so as to cater for friends, family and unexpected visitors.

According to the Bank of England, UK households will spend £713 more in December than at any other time of year. As a result, 66% of those who overspent at Christmas admitted to throwing excess and unused food in the bin, which ultimately ended up in landfill. Christmas packaging, including wrapping paper, gift bags, gift tags and product packaging, also has a huge impact on the planet.

But many of the items we buy for Christmas are sold packaged in plastic and cardboard. Business Waste claims that Christmas generates 125,000 tonnes of plastic waste, with goods ranging from advent calendar trays to sweet and chocolate wrappers. Given the amount of waste that’s generated during the festive period, it’s actually the perfect time of year to adopt some zero-waste-to-landfill habits, but why?

Why should we be ‘zero-waste’ at Christmas?: Some sobering waste facts

We’ve just touched on a few facts and statistics about Christmas waste. But that’s really just the tip of the iceberg. There are many factors involved with the festive season, such as food, packaging, trees, crackers, lights and more. All of which will increase your carbon footprint over the Christmas period. Let’s take a closer look at the real impact of Christmas waste:

Christmas trees

160,000 tonnes of Christmas trees are disposed of every January
14% of those asked said they’d discard their artificial Christmas tree after only one use
Rotting Christmas trees give off 100,000 tonnes of toxic gases, which are primarily made up of methane. Methane is 25 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide
8 million real Christmas trees are cut down each year, contributing to deforestation

Christmas lights

Britain discards 500 tonnes of Christmas lights every year
The number of lights thrown away, if laid out, would stretch 70,000 miles
Fairy lights and battery disposable (189 million batteries are thrown away at Christmas) over the festive period contribute to environmental waste considerably

Christmas crackers

Christmas food

One in seven Brits buys more food than they need at Christmas
10 million turkeys are purchased annually at Christmas, but 263,000 of them are thrown away, ultimately
The amount of food binned at Christmas amounts to 42 million dishes of Christmas food
7.5 million mince pies are binned at Christmas
Britain throws out 740,000 portions of Christmas pudding annually
17.2 million sprouts end up in landfill after Christmas
2 million kilograms of cheese will go in the bin during the festive season
7.1 million pigs in blankets are thrown away over the festive period
Brits cook 80% more food at Christmas than at any other time of year, with 230,000 tonnes of that food ending up in the bin

Christmas packaging

It’s expected that Britain will consume 25 million Christmas puddings. All of which come wrapped in plastic wrappers (which cannot be recycled) and/or cardboard
3,000 tonnes of turkey packaging are sent to landfill
4,500 tonnes of tin foil are used and thrown away during Christmas food preparation
300 million plastic cups and straws will be used at Christmas
Christmas present packaging fills 100 million black bin bags annually
Mince pie packaging generates 1 tonne of aluminium waste material

How to be ‘zero-waste’ at Christmas

Having just gone through some sobering Christmas waste statistics, it’s easy to see why we should make more of an effort to minimise the amount of waste we send to landfill this year. While the concept of zero-waste-to-landfill might seem daunting, it’s actually more straightforward than you might have otherwise thought. Here are a few hints and tips for being zero-waste this festive season:

Give handmade gifts
Gift experiences or vouchers, preferably digital ones
Make your own Christmas decorations or buy them second-hand
Reuse or repair items that you would have ordinarily got rid of, such as decorations, artificial Christmas trees, gift bags, fairy lights and even table cloths
Wrap presents in cloth, hessian or other sustainable, reusable materials
Avoid plastic, including sticky tape, glitter, bows and ribbons. Use twine or string instead
Make your own tags by reusing the front of Christmas cards
Use old Christmas cards to help you make some new ones
Make your own garlands and wreaths using sustainable, recyclable and compostable materials (such as dried fruit, sprigs of holly, fir tree branches and more)
Regift or donate unwanted Christmas presents
Buy locally and walk to the shops, if you can
Compost leftover food
Use up leftovers
Donate unopened, unrefrigerated food to food banks or offer it to friends and family

Why choose Willshee’s for domestic & commercial waste management services?

Willshee’s are dedicated to sending zero waste to landfill. You’ll always be able to count on us when you have a lot of waste to dispose of. Whether hiring a commercial or domestic skip, or taking up one of our many other waste management services, you’ll have absolute peace of mind knowing your waste will be handled with the utmost care and in line with regulations.

If you have excessive amounts of Christmas waste that you need to dispose of quickly and conveniently, then look to Willshee’s for domestic and commercial waste management. Catering for both domestic and commercial customers across the Midlands, including hazardous waste removal, skip hire and more, we’re your one-stop shop for anything and everything waste-related.

If you would like further information about our waste management services in the Midlands, including skip hire, hazardous waste disposal, commercial waste management and more, then get in touch with a member of our friendly, knowledgeable team today – we’re always pleased to hear from you.

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