Top tips to reduce, reuse and recycle this festive season

1 - You might find yourself buying new clothes and shoes for Christmas parties or as gifts - but it's also worth being aware that the fashion industry is responsible for about 10% of global carbon emissions - more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. Lots of our modern clothes and shoes are made of synthetic fibres that don't decompose in landfill or release harmful pollution when incinerated. On top of that, when you put an item of clothing in the bin it wastes all the resources that went in to producing it. Did you know that making a single pair of jeans from start to finish consumes approximately 7,500 litres of water? Buying good quality items that will last longer is one way to reduce the carbon impact of your wardrobe. Buying second-hand or pre-loved is another fantastic option, so hit the charity shops or use apps like Depop, Vinted and eBay. Other options to get new-to-you clothes include borrowing, lending, and swapping clothes with friends and family, using rental services, and repairing our clothes to keep them in use. If you're having a clear out this festive season donate any reusable and re-sellable clothes to local charity shops or reuse organisations. For more information, please visit our Where to Donate page. 

2 - Every year, UK households throw away 4.4 million tonnes of edible food worth a massive £17bn — with Christmas staples like potatoes, poultry and carrots among the most wasted. Every bit of wasted food feeds climate change, with 16 million tonnes of CO2 generated by UK homes from binned food and drink that could have been eaten. But if you have a brown bin or food waste hub you can recycle all cooked and uncooked food instead, either loose or in a compostable bag. You don't need to pay for a garden waste permit as long as you only use your brown bin for food waste. The content of all our brown bins and food waste hubs goes to Glenfarg where it is composted into a fertiliser used by local farmers to put nutrients back in the ground. See the brown bin page for more information.  

3 - Plastic waste is a global problem, but one we can all individually help to tackle by recycling as much of our household plastic waste as we can. In Perth and Kinross, that means using your grey bin for plastic bottles, tubs and trays and film, like crisp packets, bread bags, films, and empty plastic bags. The grey bin is not just for plastics either - it's also how you recycle your metals (including foil) and cartons but remember that everything should be clean. If you have something with a lot of grease or baked-on food that's too hard to clean off, please put it in the green bin because it's too heavily contaminated. Not sure whether something can go in the grey bin? Have a look at the handy 'Yes' and 'No' lists on thegrey bin page.

4 - Lots of us will be encountering some amount of paper waste over the festive period, whether that's Christmas cards and envelopes, non-reusable gift bags and wrapping paper, or cardboard packaging from online present shopping. Most of this will be able to go in the blue bin but there are a few things that can't. Please make sure that any cardboard boxes are flattened with no polystyrene left in them. Any wrapping paper or card that is metallic or glittery unfortunately can't be recycled, but you could tear or cut off the glittery part and put the plain part in the blue bin, and why not repurpose the other half into some gift tags for next year instead of binning it? Lastly, any cards with lights or sound will need the electronic parts completely removed and then you can recycle them separately, as they have a battery and are a fire risk. See the blue bin page for more information.

5 - Electrical and Electronic Equipment is part of all our everyday lives. This Christmas, lots of us will get new toys, phones, games consoles, or small household appliances, and we may want to get rid of the older items. If these are unwanted but still working, you can give them the chance to be kept in use! See if anyone you know wants them, sell them online, trade them in to a retailer, or donate them to a charity shop (but not all accept Electricals so check with the specific shop first). The reuse containers at Friarton, Inveralmond, Crieff, and Kinross recycling centres can also accept working small electrical items that are clean and in good condition. 

If your electrical item is broken or not reusable it still contains lots of valuable resources and raw materials including precious metals. All 9 recycling centres in Perth and Kinross will accept it for recycling, and there are WEEE banks in Auchterarder, Scone, Oakbank, and Bertha Park to drop off small items - perfect for any broken sets of fairy lights! Find out more on our electrical and electronic recycling page.

Also, make sure to check changes to the bin collection dates over the festive period this year. To find out more about reducing, reusing and recycling, go to our What can be recycled page. You can also follow PKC Waste Services on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PKCWasteServices.