From tree decorations to cracker gifts, plastic is a massive part of Christmas – and the non-biodegradable material is increasingly polluting the oceans and harming wildlife. Luckily, there are some easy steps you can take in order to decrease the amount of plastic used in your household this festive season.
One of the easiest steps is to ditch the use of plastic tree decorations and tinsel in favour of edible decorations, such as Christmas cookies to hang, or use strings of popcorn and cranberries as tinsel.
Here at ACE we have started decreasing our plastic use by decommissioning the ACE 700ml bottle in favour of a smaller one, as well as bringing out ACE for Colours Powder in fully recyclable packaging.
The majority of wrapping paper isn’t actually recyclable, yet many waste collectors report blue bins full of the shiny stuff every Christmas time. Consider swapping your wrapping paper for biodegradable alternatives such as newspaper or paper grocery bags – or gift bags which can be used more than once. Some ingenious companies are even selling paper embedded with seeds, which can be planted after use!
Christmas involves buying lots of gifts and with lots of gifts come… lots of boxes! At this time of the year, the problem tends to be the sheer volume of boxes, which can overflow the recycling bin and end up in the trash. It may sound obvious but making sure you recycle each and every box – even if it’s not necessarily the most convenient thing to do – can make a huge different to the environment.
After all the festive excess, we tend to leave a load of leftovers behind. Instead of throwing them away, why not consider disposing of any organic matter in a compost bin, so you can make a free, nutrient-rich compost perfect for feeding your garden come springtime.
Confused about what you can and can’t compost? This handy guide gives a detailed list of all the weird and wonderful things you can put in your compost bin. From eggshells, to old coffee grounds and dried up spices that have lost their flavour – some of the things might surprise you!
It’s the staple joke of almost every household. Chances are that you will receive gifts this Christmas that really aren’t your cup of tea! Whether from a well-meaning but distant relative, or a colleague you don’t really know for Secret Santa, it’s all too easy for the mark to be missed when it comes to giving gifts. Instead of throwing your unwanted presents away this year, why not consider regifting them to others, or donating them to charity shops? Remember the old adage – one man’s trash really could be another man’s treasure.
Here at Ace, we take recycling seriously. Every single one of our products are fully recyclable.
Do you have any clever Christmas recycling hacks? Do share with us at @ACECLEANUK on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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