Christmas waste in Exeter revealed – 534 tonnes of waste thrown out this week
The staggering amount of waste generated this Christmas in Exeter can be finally revealed, with a total of 534 tonnes of waste being dumped this week alone, as bins are filled to the brim.
“Even with a slightly toned-down Christmas this year, we all know how full the bins get after Christmas – it’s now clear the huge environmental impact all this waste has. The numbers are simply astonishing – 4 tonnes of uneaten cheese chucked out for example”, explains Charlotte Green from
The online survey carried out by TradeWaste.co.uk asked 4,500 people about the contents of their Christmas bins – the results are remarkable, with food waste and food packaging creating the most waste this year.
“People in Exeter seem to have taken to eating well this year, with lockdowns and all the doom and gloom – it seems comfort eating has become a National institution, however nearly 8 tonnes of half-eaten mince pies where thrown out - seems a terrible shame to me!”, adds Green.
Christmas food lovers (and haters) in Exeter chucked out this year:
- 249 tonnes of food packaging
- 89 tonnes of leftover Christmas dinners
- 43 tonnes of glass drink bottles
- 13 tonnes of drink cans
- 8 tonnes of leftover mince pies
- 4 tonnes of cheese
It is not only leftover food waste which is filling Exeter bins – wrapping paper, cards, decorations and of course Christmas trees are all being thrown out this week – all 21 tonnes of them.
Luckily much of the waste created at Christmas can be recycled with trees being shredded into chippings, cards being munched for paper and some wrapping paper can be recycled too.
The interesting one is Christmas lights – these should not be put in a general waste bin, instead they need to be taken to a local authority waste site and put in the small electricals skip.
Seasonal goods we are chucking out in Exeter this week include:
- 53 tonnes of Christmas cards
- 31 tonnes of Christmas wrapping paper
- 22 tonnes of Christmas decorations
- 21 tonnes of Christmas trees
- 121 miles of broken Christmas lights
“It’s really difficult to reduce waste at Christmas, but we can all do our bit. It’s really important to split up all the waste you have and put it in the correct bin – some need to be processed differently – like broken Christmas lights. I just want to know who is chucking out mince pies, send them to me!”, concludes Charlotte Green from Exeter recycling firm TradeWaste.co.uk
