Over the August Bank Holiday weekend changes will be made to the collections of refuse and recycling. Generally most collections will be a day behind so please ensure that you have you bins out at the boundary of your property ready to be collected. With the garden waste bins, please ensure they are out on the street on the pavement so that our crews can see that they need collecting. Full details of the changes can be found in the table below.
After three, 1, 2, 3
On the first day of Christmas my true love……..
OK, there’s no need to break into song, but as an alternative to this festive ditty, the Recycle for Lewisham team have done away with swimming swans and piping pipers and are offering our very own 12 tips of Christmas. These are just a few things that you as a Lewisham resident can do to make your yuletide that bit greener and better for the environment. So let’s get started…
1. Make sure you have access to a recycling bin over Christmas so that you’re able to recycle all your cans, paper, glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles, mixed plastics and beverage cartons. You can order a new recycling bin by clicking on the following link: http://goo.gl/UFGktq
Please make good use of your recycling bins during the Christmas period.
2. Transform your Christmas leftovers with these inventive roast turkey sandwich ideas.
Loving food and hating waste. Make good use of that turkey.
Turkey, Cream Cheese and Bacon Sandwich – Smoky bacon and chive cream cheese make this a perfect Boxing Day breakfast or if you are feeling a little healthier, how about making a Turkey, Watercress and Apple Sandwich – Thinly sliced apples lend a crisp sweetness to this tasty treat.
3. Once the presents have been opened, turkey eaten and the Christmas tree is looking a bit bare, remember it can have a new lease of life by taking it to one of 12 Christmas tree drop off points at local parks around the borough where it will be turned into mulch: http://goo.gl/wFk3LE
Please make use of the collection points to recycle your Christmas tree.
4. Why buy all that expensive wrapping paper when newspaper and magazines will do just the same? Why not add some string and ribbons and a home-made tag as well and be more creative this Christmas.
These are wrapped in newspaper with the addition of some ribbon and nice tags – simple.
5. Has someone just given you a beautifully wrapped present, with lovely paper and ribbons? Unwrap it carefully and save the paper and decorations to use later!
Wrapping paper and ribbon can be used again.
6. Do you need to make space for all of the new DVDs, CDs and books that you will be receiving this Christmas? Why not donate your old ones to your local charity shop, or if they are a classic titles you can make a bit of cash by selling them at car boot sales or online using sites such as Amazon and Play.com
Sell or giveaway old books and CD’s that you no longer want.
7. Did you get a Christmas jumper or item of clothing that you can’t see yourself wearing? Not to worry, these can be reused through a charity shop or deposited at one of the many textile banks across the borough: See locations here: http://goo.gl/i38qmY
Our textile banks will take all manner of clean clothes.
8. Tired of trying to eat up all those left over roasted vegetables after Christmas? Turn it into a delicious soup and freeze it for later – see the link below but remember, you can use all sorts of roasted veg for this! http://england.lovefoodhatewaste.com/recipes/roasted-sweet-potato-soup-paprika
Use up all those vegetables by making some lovely soup.
9. Plan on having cheese platters out at your Christmas parties? Always place out less than what you think is needed and keep the rest in the fridge – you can always top up the plate if needed later. If you’ve got too much left over, you can even freeze cheese either as a whole block or grated… it’s up to you!
Don’t eat all your cheese in one go. Store it and use it later.
10. Christmas is the perfect time for getting that compost bin. With all the food preparation that will happening, you’ll need somewhere to deposit all those peelings from the fruit and vegetables. It could be the start of your New Years resolution to start being greener. The compost bins are free as well: http://goo.gl/ub4Wc6
Mr Compost says ‘Why not get a compost bin this Christmas and new year and start composting.’
11. Some Christmas cards are too nice to throw away, so why don’t you turn them into gift tags to use the following Christmas. It takes just minutes to do, and with a bit of care they can come out looking every bit as nice as ones you can buy in the shops.
Get those scissors out and start chopping up those cards – in the New Year of course.
12. Buy rechargeable batteries to accompany your electronic gifts, and consider giving a battery charger as well. Rechargeable batteries reduce the amount of potentially harmful materials thrown away, and can save money in the long run. Broken small appliances can be taken to one of our WEEE banks http://goo.gl/73tm3k or our Reuse and Recycling Centre: http://goo.gl/n6NbrO
Batteries can be recycled in libraries and supermarkets across the borough.
