Dreaming of a green Christmas in High Peak

Christmas is always a busy time in the High Peak and the shopping, decorating our homes and seasonal socialising can mean that recycling or reusing waste slips down our list of priorities.

But with the festivities generating additional waste for more households, High Peak Borough Council is reminding residents that it is as important as ever to recycle as much as you can.

Councillor John Haken, Executive Councillor for Operational Services, said: "The festive season is traditionally a time when friends and families come together to exchange gifts and enjoy social occasions so it is inevitable that the amount of waste households produce increases at this time of year.

"High Peak residents do a wonderful job of recycling and reusing items all year so we're asking people to continue to make the time during the busy Christmas period to continue their efforts and recycle their seasonal waste.

"I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank residents for all their efforts to recycle throughout the year and wish everyone a happy - and green - Christmas."

Christmas lunch, New Year's Eve celebrations and friends and family popping round mean fridges and cupboards are stocked with food and drink. Plastic drinks bottles and pots, tubs and trays, along with drinks cans and food tins,can go straight into the brown bin  whilst glass bottles and jars go in the green box - just give them a quick rinse first.

Once the gifts are unwrapped, the mountain of boxes, papers bags, card and wrapping paper (except foil or glitter paper) can all be put in the recycling. And don't forget that this also includes egg boxes, cardboard sleeves for food packaging and your favourite cake and biscuit selection boxes.

Flatten cardboard boxes to make more space in your brown bin or consider visiting your local recycling centre. You can check the tip opening times over the Christmas period online.

Food waste, including vegetable peelings, turkey bones, plate scrapings, tea bags and coffee grounds, and any out-of-date food can be put in your green-lidded bin ready to be recycled once collections restart in January.

Parties and get-togethers mean we might spend more time getting ready so remember that toiletries such as plastic shower gel and shampoo bottles, deodorant and shaving gel aerosols as well as the card packaging from face creams and moisturisers can all be recycled.

And don't forget you can now also recycle small electrical items at your kerbside. Please place any unwanted items such as kettles, toasters, hairdryers, mobile phones, battery operated toys out next to your green or black bin on collection day but remember to remove any batteries if applicable.

And when it's all over for another year, you can start your good recycling resolutions by chopping up your real Christmas tree and putting it in your green-lidded bin or leaving it next to the bin if it is less that 5ft tall.