Environmentalists urge Jersey to recycle more and minimise Christmas waste

  • ITV Channel's Emma Volney reports.

Environmentalists are urging Jersey residents to recycle their Christmas waste, as figures reveal people in the British Isles get through more than 200,000 miles of wrapping paper every year.

According to the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), people in the British Isles throw away approximately £42 million of unwanted presents each Christmas.

Many across the Bailiwicks say they are trying to make a difference by recycling their Christmas waste.

One visitor to the La Collette recycling centre told ITV News: “We had a car load, but we always recycle all our wrapping paper and cardboard - especially after Christmas.”

Another said: “[The recycling centre] is packed. 2024 was the year climate change fell off the agenda for a lot of people, but it’s important always to recycle. Think of the planet.”

Environmentalist Nigel Jones believes we can all do our bit to help the environment. Credit: ITV Channel

Nigel Jones, of the campaign group Jersey in Transition, believes there is much more work to be done to prevent excess waste.

He explains: “We overdo it at Christmas. We could pull it back a lot. We all have a responsibility to do our bit.

“Why do they not give us wrapping paper that we can recycle?”

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