Residents urged to 'starve their bin' over Christmas

Residents are being encouraged to ‘starve your bin’ by reducing, reusing and recycling seasonal waste wherever possible this festive season.

From plastic food and drink packaging to cardboard boxes and wrapping paper that housed gifts under the Christmas tree - there's a variety of packaging that can go into your recycling bins, boxes and sacks.

Christmas lunch, New Year’s Eve celebrations and friends and family popping round all mean one thing – fridges and cupboards stocked with food and drink.

Plastic drinks bottles and pots; tubs and trays can go straight into the black recycling box but remember to give them a quick rinse in washing up water and squash them down. Drinks cans and food tins go in the same box, just make sure they’ve been given a quick rinse too.

Plain Christmas cards can be placed in black household recycling boxes. Cards which include foil, glitter, metal or anything other than card cannot be placed in this box as they are not suitable for recycling at Teignbridge’s facilities and should be put in the black bin.

Small amounts of plain wrapping paper can also go in the black box, but any containing foil, glitter or sticky tape cannot and should go in the black bin. Please don’t put cards or wrapping paper in the blue sack.

It’s the same with glass bottles and jars – rinse and recycle by popping them into your green recycling box or taking them to your nearest recycling bank.

Egg boxes, cardboard sleeves for food packaging and your favourite cake and biscuit selection boxes can all be recycled in the same box too making it really easy for you to reduce waste and recycle more. Cards and cardboard can also be taken to one of the 12 cardboard recycling banks around the district or to Brunel Road Recycling Centre for free.

Food waste such as vegetable peelings, turkey bones, plate scrapings, tea bags and coffee grinds, and any out of date food can be put in your blue food waste container and will be taken to an anaerobic digester where it will be used to generate electricity.

Visit Teignbridge District Council’s website to check out green gift ideas, how to recycle Christmas wrapping paper, cards and trees and get the revised waste and recycling collection dates. A ‘Christmas Waste’ web page has been put together and is packed with information.

Take a look at www.teignbridge.gov.uk/christmaswaste

Cllr Kevin Lake, Teignbridge District Council’s Executive Spokesperson for Environmental Services, said:

“Christmas is a time where a lot of waste is generated in a short amount of time and to help reduce the pressure on residents’ bins the council is urging people to take advantage of their kerbside recycling service, local recycling banks or the recycling facilities at the household waste recycling centres to prevent unnecessary waste going for disposal.”

The Brunel Road Recycling Centre is closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day, and is open at other times as follows:Mon-Fri - 8am to 4.30pm, Sat & Sun - 10am to 4.30pm.

Household waste collections will be affected due to the bank holidays over the festive period.

The revised Christmas collection dates are:

Normal collection - Revised collection
Thurs 24th December - As normal
Fri 25th December - Tues 29th December
Mon 28th December - Weds 30th December
Tues 29th December - Thurs 31st December
Weds 30th December - Sat 2nd January
Thurs 31st December - Mon 4th January
Fri 1st January - Tues 5th January
Mon 4th January - Weds 6th January
Tues 5th January - Thurs 7th January
Weds 6th January- Fri 8th January
Thur 7th January- Sat 9th January
Fri 8th January - Mon 11th January
Mon 11th January - Tues 12th January
Tues 12th January- Weds 13th January
Weds 13th January-Thurs 14th January
Thurs 14th January- Fri 15th January
Fri 15th January- Sat 16th January

The council will make every effort to collect waste on the scheduled day but some delays to the schedule may occur – for example if there is a spell of severe weather.

Residents are asked to put their bins and containers out by 7am on collection day.

Collections are back to normal on 18 January 2016.