Advice on what can and can't be recycled this Christmas

Homes are expected to produce millions of tonnes of extra waste over the Christmas period. Credit: ITV News Meridian

Recycling sites are preparing for their busiest time of the year with homes expected to produce millions of tonnes of extra waste over the Christmas period.

At a waste facility in Reading, staff are urging people to sort their rubbish carefully to ease pressure and to help the environment.

Laura Fisher, Assistant Contract Manager at Re3, said the days after Christmas are "extremely busy" with dustcarts working overtime.

She said: "People generally have a lot more waste to get rid of, things that they've accumulated over Christmas - cardboard boxes, old toys that they don't want anymore, old electrical items that they no longer need.

"So there's a lot more waste being collected, a lot more waste being deposited, so a lot more recycling for us to sort through for us to be able to put back into the market."

Batteries also pose a "big hazard to the industry" she explained, with nine fires recorded so far at the centre this year.

Batteries should be put into a specific battery recycling scheme and not into normal bins.

Ms Fisher believes "people are focusing on other things at Christmas time, maybe recycling and throwing away waste responsibly is at the bottom of people's list".

However, she said it's important people still think about the environment during the festive season.

  • Ms Fisher says we should still be thinking about the environment at Christmas

"We're in a climate crises at the moment, so just doing that one little thing like separating out your plastic from your cardboard can make a huge difference," she said.

Re3 in Reading has been helped by an AI robotic arm which takes 60 to 100 photos of items on conveyor belts and moves them into the correct place to recycle.

What can be recycled this Christmas:

  • Cardboard - remove all plastic and keep it dry in your recycling

  • People are being told to do the "scrunch test" on wrapping paper. If you can scrunch the paper and it doesn’t spring back, it can be recycled

  • Plastic and metal tins and tubs including lids but put plastic sweet wrappers in the rubbish bin

  • Foil trays including mince pie trays. Rinse the trays to remove the food

  • Bottles and jars must be taken to the nearest bottle bank

What can't be recycled

  • Anything with glitter on it

  • Tinsel and baubles. If you have some unwanted Christmas decorations or toys that are in a reusable condition, they can be taken to recycling centres.

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