Cumberland Council is encouraging residents to have an eco-friendly Christmas season.
The council has put together a range of tips on how you can be more environmentally friendly this Christmas, from dealing with old presents to tackling food waste.
Party and gift tips
Wrapping paper: Avoid glossy, plastic-coated wrapping paper as it is not recyclable.
Instead, use brown paper or reuse old gift bags.
Non-recyclable items such as foil or glitter paper, Styrofoam, polyfilm and cellophane should be disposed of in general waste bins.
Reuse materials: Consider reusing materials to make holiday items like crackers, decorations, and cards, or using a reusable gift bag instead of wrapping paper.
Portion planning: Use a portion planner to avoid overeating and wasting food.
Store leftovers: Leftover party food can be frozen for future packed lunches.
Gifts that give something back
Clear out: Clear out unwanted items before Christmas and donate them to charity shops.
Reuse: Consider giving or accepting used items or experience-based gifts instead of new ones.
Eco-friendly packaging: Choose gifts with recyclable or reusable packaging.
Homemade gifts: Make something special this year, like baked goods or handmade items.
Festive food tips
Plan ahead: Create shopping lists to avoid overbuying and reduce food waste.
Leftover recipes: Visit the Love Food Hate Waste website for ideas on how to use up leftovers.
Recycle glasses: Most glass containers can be recycled.
Just rinse them out.
Home composting in winter
Food waste: Compost uncooked fruit and vegetable scraps.
Simply compost: Small paper and cardboard items like party hats and crackers can be composted.
Christmas trees: Recycle your Christmas tree between January 9th and 10th 2025 with Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland.
Tree collections can be booked at just-helping.org.uk/register-tree.
Changes to waste and recycling
The council also announced changes to waste and recycling collection days over Christmas and New Year.
There will be no collections on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
Changed garbage collection dates:
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Wednesday, December 25th, changed to Friday, December 27th
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Thursday December 26th has been changed to Saturday December 28th
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Friday December 27th has been changed to Sunday December 29th
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Wednesday January 1st changed to Thursday January 2nd
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Thursday January 2nd has been changed to Friday January 3rd
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Friday January 3rd has been changed to Saturday January 4th
Collections will resume on their normal schedule on Monday, January 6, 2025.
Household Waste Recycling Centers (HWRCs) are open during the holidays, except Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year.
All HWRCs close at 4:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
The council also reminded residents of “recycling drop-off points” located throughout the area, including in supermarket car parks.
There will be no collections at these drop-off sites on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day, but the council will empty them regularly.
Residents are asked not to leave items on the floor if bins or cages are full and to return at another time.
The drop-off areas are monitored by police officers and video surveillance for possible cases of fly-tipping.