Ideas for a Green Christmas

It's that time of year where lots of us are looking to be organised for Christmas.

With decorations, gifts, cards and wrapping, we can end up creating a lot of waste in the run-up to and on the big day. There are lots of way to make your Christmas a little greener this year.

Gifts don't always have to be something you can hold- try gifting a pre-bought experience like a well-deserved weekend away. You can also re-gift something you have at home that know you someone else will enjoy, or go vintage and gift something from second hand or charity shop.

If you are hitting the shops and ordering online to your home or click and collect, try to order in batches so you can reduce journeys for delivery drivers and extra packaging.

Once you've got your gifts and want to get wrapping, there are still ways to be a little greener. Avoid the foil or glittery paper and swap to any paper that passes the Recycle Now scrunch test. If your wrapping paper stays in a ball when it's scrunched up, it can be recycled in your orange bin. You can also look at reusable options like fabric tied with ribbon.

On the big day, plan ahead to avoid wasting food. You can write a menu and shop to that, and if you do end up with some leftovers, there are lots of great ideas for interesting ways to use them up before New Year. You can also get recyclable Christmas crackers for your table, or even get creative with homemade crackers that you can personalise for your friends and family.

Mayor Dave Hodgson said "By planning ahead, making a few little swaps, and maybe getting a little creative there are lots of ways to make your Christmas a little greener. We all know how damaging waste is to our planet, by reducing what you use, reuse what you can and recycling as much as possible we can all take little steps to make a big difference."