Thrifty Christmas ideas

A GREAT and green Christmas is the promise of the culmination of a year-long Somerset campaign to help residents save and make money, conserve resources, have fun and make friends.

With super-saver suggestions for everything from gardening and gadgets to packaging and clutter, Somerset Waste Partnership’s Green Routine waste prevention campaign has been backing hundreds of local people as they waste less, recycle more and go a bit greener.

At Christmas, food, gifts and decorations, including the tree, are among the key areas for taking simple steps to cut back on waste.

Christmas can see a lot of food wasted, as part of the annual £700 worth of meals and ingredients thrown out by the average family.

PHOTO: Save and smile: simple steps can cut the cost of festive waste.

Green Routine makes it easy to make a difference, with hints on portions, leftover recipes and even budget web sites for safe-to-eat food that is past its best before date.

And it highlights how the freezer is your friend, if you clear space by eating from it ahead of time, so festive meat, veg and more, such as wine dregs, can be saved.

For gifts, there are reminders about wish lists to eliminate unwanted presents, investing in rechargeable batteries and not buying when you can borrow. And for family fun before the big day, it suggests creating thrifty gifts from recycled materials.

In the same way, a great decorations tip is to make them yourself, from paper items to hang on the tree to gift tags from old Christmas cards or garden greenery that can be composted later.

Thinking where your Christmas will end up is a helpful reminder that card decorations can usually be recycled, but those made of tinsel and plastic cannot, while after eating those chocolates and puddings with spray cream, you can recycle large tins and aerosols in your recycling box.

For all the details of having a happy Christmas by keeping it green, find Green Routine at www.somersetwaste.gov.uk .

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