Recycle for London this festive period, urges Mayor

The Mayor calls on Londoners to pull out the stops to recycle, compost, reuse and reduce their contribution to the potential mountain of waste generated at Christmas.

The amount of wrapping paper estimated to be thrown away in London at Christmas period could stretch around the Equator, giving people a golden opportunity to instead boost the capital's recycling rate.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has added his voice to the call for Londoners to pull out the stops to recycle, compost, reuse and reduce their contribution to the potential mountain of waste that will be generated in the coming weeks.

Every year London throws out an estimated 675 tonnes of tin foil (this is enough to cover around 225 square miles) and 2000 tonnes of glass during the festive season. You can drop off wrapping paper, waste foil and glass at your nearest recycling bank or check on your local authority's website to see whether your kerbside collection scheme accepts it. From wine and sherry bottles to mincemeat and cranberry sauce jars, recycling all of them could save 630 tonnes of climate change emissions being produced, which is equivalent to taking around 195 cars off London's roads for one year. 

The waste and recycling organisation, WRAP, has published a fantastic range of imaginative ways to use up your excess food or leftovers rather than bin them via their Love Food Hate Waste campaign. For example, Christmas cake, leftover turkey, potatoes and extra stilton can all be frozen for another time helping people to save money and reduce our food waste. The

Mayor Boris Johnson said: 'The festive period is a cracking time to prove your eco-credentials by taking time out to recycle, or to get creative with leftovers to cut down on food waste. Let's put London's recycling rate through the roof this Christmas and New Year.'

Notes to Editors

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