15 Dec 2021

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If the very thought of the post-Christmas clean-up has you breaking out in a sweat, we’ve got some handy tips to help make the job easier.

Disposing of Christmas gift unwrapping

    • You can put cardboard or paper left behind after Christmas presents have been unwrapped into the yellow wheelie bin as long as it is bigger in size than an envelope, not scrunched up, and doesn’t have a plastic coating.
    • If you’re uncertain try the tear test. If your Christmas wrapping paper tears it is paper and can be recycled.  If it doesn't tear, put it in the red bin.
    • Foil wrapping can't be recycled and must go in the red bin.
    • Plastic wrap, plastic strapping, courier bags, bubble wrap, plastic shopping bags, confectionery bar wrappers are all soft plastics and must go in the red bin or its can be dropped off for soft plastic takeback scheme at participating retailers.
    • Old Christmas cards can go in the yellow wheelie bin.
    • Any polystyrene used to package items should be put in the red bin or dropped at one of the takeback schemes.
    • If you have more recycling than you can fit in your bin, you can drop it off one of the EcoDrop recycling centres for free.

Dealing with Christmas breakages 

  • Broken cups and glasses cannot go into the yellow wheelie bin so if such items become a casualty of Christmas, wrap the broken bits in paper and place them in your red bin.

Getting rid of unwanted Christmas gifts

  • If you have unwanted Christmas gifts, think about taking them to a charity shop or one of the EcoDrop recycling centres. Find out more about what items are accepted at EcoDrop centres.
  • Unwanted clothing or toys can’t be recycled in the yellow bin as they could damage the sorting machinery at the EcoSort facility.
  • Good clothing can be reused through one of the clothing bins dotted around the city. Otherwise, damaged fabric can go in the red bin.

Disposing of the Christmas tree

    • Once your real Christmas tree has reached its use-by date, you can chop it into small pieces and put it in your green wheelie bin or take it to the EcoDrop green waste drop-off (standard charges will apply). 
    • If you’ve grown tired of your fake tree but it is still in good condition, take it to one of the EcoDrop recycling centres so that someone else can use it.
    • If your fake tree has lost its Christmas sparkle, you can dispose of it in the red bin.
    • If you can’t find a new home for your unwanted tinsel or Christmas ornaments, they should go in the red bin.

Excess food

  • Food scraps (including chicken and turkey bones) and any left-overs that you can’t bring yourself to eat can be disposed of in the green organics wheelie bin.

Keep a lid on it

Don't make the mistake of overfilling your wheelie bin. Bin lids must be flat for collection. 

Bin collection

The kerbside collection service will be running as usual over the Christmas/New Year period so put your bins out by 6am on your normal collection day.

If you’re in a tidying frenzy

If the prospect of having visitors to stay has spurred you to clean out cupboards and get rid of surplus items, remember that:

  • If you want to get rid of metal tools, kitchen pots and pans, or household appliances you can drop them off for free at one of our three EcoDrop Recycling Centres where they can be reused at the Ecoshop or salvaged as scrap metal. These can’t be recycled in the yellow bin as they could damage the sorting machinery at the EcoSort Facility.
  • Drink cans, metal tins and household aerosol cans are the only metal items that can go in your yellow bin. Remember to give them a quick rinse and make sure they are loose and not squashed.
  • Only hard plastic bottles and containers numbered 1,2 and 5 can go in the yellow bin. They need to be clean, not squashed and the size of an individual yoghurt pot, or bigger, but no larger than three litres to get through the automated sorting plant. All lids and tops need to go in the red bin.

Want to do more?

Check out a range of recycling schemes run by other organisations that can help you dispose of unwanted items and remember to use our helpful Christchurch Bins app to bin good.