Recycle in good cheer. Photo- Laurie Whitwell

With children to entertain, food to cook and presents to hunt down, recycling may seem like one task too many.  Fortunately this Christmas it’s easier than ever to re-use waste in Tower Hamlets.

Kerbside and estate recycling collections will not stop over the holiday. Collection days will move to avoid bank holidays but information can be found on the borough’s website.

The Waste & Resources Action Programme estimate that in the UK 13,350 tonnes of glass is thrown away over the festive season. By recycling this, 4,200 tonnes of CO2 could be saved. That’s the equivalent to taking 1,300 cars off the road for a year.

WRAP recommend keeping a bag or box next to the general waste bin so that recycling is done straight away, and try to enlist the help of children because recycling is a good way to learn about the environment.

Tower Hamlets, along with Lewisham and Croydon,each offer a place to recycle Christmas trees. Tower Hamlets have recently introduced a green bag scheme, which is a doorstep collection for garden waste and includes Christmas trees. Residents who are not signed up can use the centre at Northumberland Wharf.

Councillor Abdal Ullah, lead member for Cleaner, Safer, Greener at Tower Hamlets, is encouraging residents to keep on top of recycling. He said: “While we want everybody to enjoy the Christmas period, we’re also encouraging residents to remember to recycle. Over the festive season a lot more rubbish in produced and it’s important that people continue to recycle.”

In both Croydon and Lewisham there will be 19 and 11 locations respectively, where you can take your tree (with decorations removed) to be chipped or composted.

Alternatively, living Christmas trees are also available and can be planted in the garden at the end of the season. According to recent research by product-testing charity Which?, living Christmas trees grown from seeds live longer than those dug up and potted.