WELSH HOUSEHOLDS TO GENERATE RECORD
AMOUNTS OF RUBBISH THIS CHRISTMAS
Households in Wales will break all records this Christmas when it comes to generating waste.
New figures calculated by environmental experts in Wales show that our carbon footprint this festive season will be bigger than ever.
According to award-winning recycling business GD Environmental of Newport, Wales will contribute to the highest carbon Christmas in British history unless households go green over the festive period. Statistics show that households in the UK will dispose of:
- 37m extra bottles and glass containers;
- more than 4 sq km of Christmas wrapping paper;
- more than 8,000 tonnes of wasted food;
- and 51 million thrown-away Christmas cards.
“The figures are quite astonishing and demonstrate what a massive effort we should all be making to recycle as much waste as possible over the festive period” said James Norvill, Managing Director of GD Environmental, named earlier this month as the UK’s top green company by the British Chamber of Commerce.
“Sadly, overflowing bins and extra bags of rubbish are a common sight in the streets after Christmas.
“We all create more waste over the holiday period; but our figures make for some worrying reading,” said James.
Across the UK, the Royal Mail delivers around 150 million cards and packages each day during the pre-Christmas period.
It is estimated that up to 1 billion Christmas cards - 17 for every man, woman and child - could end up in bins across the country.
Throughout the UK as much as 83 square km of wrapping paper will end up in rubbish bins - enough to cover an area larger than Guernsey*.
We will also use an extra 750 million bottles and glass containers, and discard over 500 million drinks cans. It is estimated that 30% more glass and cans are collected each year over the Christmas period than any other time in the calendar year.
James added, “This Christmas, it’s estimated that approximately 160,000 tonnes of food will be wasted - the equivalent of one extra bin bag of leftovers, peelings and preparation waste for every home in the UK.”
Figures show that in the run-up to Christmas, families will buy:
- an estimated 800,000 turkeys;
- 40 million sprouts;
- 8 million mince pies;
- and 200,00 jars of pickles
Gerwyn Holmes, Marketing Manager of GD Environmental added, “The amount of waste we produce and our main methods of disposal are currently not sustainable. The production, treatment and disposal of waste can all harm the environment.
“Research shows that for every tonne of waste produced in our homes, five tonnes has already been created in manufacturing and a further 10 tonnes through the sourcing and extraction of raw materials.
“A massive 60% of our household waste could be recycled or composted, but most of it is still deposited in landfill sites. We need to find ways to not only recycle more, but also to reduce and reuse our waste.”
GD Environmental is responsible for the Carbon Neutrals, a team of workers which attend major events in Wales collecting litter. They have recently worked during the Six Nations rugby matches, recycling thousands of dropped plastic beer glasses that normally litter Cardiff’s streets. The team are currently working in major towns and cities across Wales to promote a greener Christmas through encouraging the recycling of different types of waste you create at home.
For more information on recycling your household waste please call 01633 277755 or visit www.gd-environmental.co.uk or visit www.carbonneutrals.co.uk
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Caption: GD’s carbon Neutrals team get ready for the Xmas rubbish haul.
Gerwyn Holmes
www.gd-environmental.co.uk
Marketing Manager
Tel 01633 277 755
