It’s the delivery van we’re keen to see before Christmas but, after Christmas, it’s the bin truck. Households produce a bumper load of waste each December. Come January, we are ready for a big clear out.
Now that peak consumption season is behind you, disposing of things properly can save you money on bin charges and reduce your impact on the environment.
We know more now about how our behaviour is causing the climate crisis than we did in 2012, yet Ireland’s recycling rate has not improved in a decade, a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report has revealed.
Part of the problem is we don’t know how to use our bins. To start with, we are putting the wrong things in our general waste bin. Only about a third of general waste bin contents belong there, according to a separate EPA “waste categorisation” report from 2023.
About a fifth of general waste bin contents is food and garden waste. This should be going in a brown bin or getting composted.
Plastics and recyclables make up a quarter of general waste bin contents. About a fifth of the items we put in there, such as textiles, glass and electronics, could be brought to a Bring centre.
We’re a bit better with our recycling bins. Almost two-thirds of the things in there are in the right place. Some 55 per cent of it is packaging. Using less packaging and wrapping paper and buying fruit and veg loose will reduce our bin costs here.
Those with brown or organic waste bins get it 95 per cent right. This bin is only capturing a third of available food waste, however.
You can reduce the amount of Christmas waste you produce by buying less next year. In the meantime, here’s how to recycle it:
Christmas lights and toys
Does it have a plug? Does it use batteries? Does it need charging? Does it have a picture of a crossed out wheelie bin on it? Then it doesn’t go in your kerbside bin.
Christmas waste such as battery-operated toys, electronics, gifts with a plug and Christmas lights generally contain hazardous components and should be brought to a Bring centre. Doing so enables some materials to be recovered and reused again. It also reduces the amount of waste you are contributing to landfill.
Decorations, cards, packaging
Old decorations made from a single material such as paper, card, or plastic only can go in your recycling bin. If you are not sure what it’s made from or if it’s made from multiple materials, including glitter, then it goes in the general waste bin. Remove any bows or embellishments from cards before recycling.
Batteries
Batteries don’t go in your bin. Do yourself a favour and have an old battery receptacle. Lots of shops and supermarkets will accept your old batteries, or you could bring them to a civic amenity centre.
Clothes
Some 9 per cent of the contents of our general waste bin is textiles. This adds to the weight and cost of our bin. Clothes, footwear and other textile products can be brought to a civic amenity site, a charity shop or a bring bank operated by a commercial collector, says MyWaste.ie.
Christmas present amnesty
If you’re locked in a cycle of Christmas gift-giving, exchanging unwanted and unused gifts, it’s time to shout “Stop!”. Speak to the people you normally exchange presents with and say, “Can we do Kris Kindle next year?”. This will help rein in financial anxiety as well as waste. Call a truce for Christmas 2025.