13 December 2011
As well as our helpful online Christmas waste-themed advent calendar (launched at www.veolia.co.uk/nottinghamshire on 1 December); each day over Advent we will be bringing you handy hints and shocking statistics on four popular Christmas waste items- starting this week with wrapping paper and Christmas cards. At this time of year, the more organised among us are busily writing Christmas cards and wrapping presents.
But have you ever spared a thought for quite how much of these items we use and throw away every Christmas? Each year in the UK, we use enough wrapping paper to stretch around the equator nine times, or to the moon!
Kevin Parker Communications Manager at Veolia Environmental Services Nottinghamshire says “Instead of buying rolls and rolls of wrapping paper that will only end up in your bin, why not wrap presents in any unusual paper you already have lying around, or in an attractive scarf which can be re-used during the cold winter weather?
However, if you’re dead set on using wrapping paper, what about using string, ribbon or wool for sealing gifts, rather than sticky tape? The string and paper can then be re-used.” The statistics for Christmas cards are just as shocking. Every year, we throw away an astounding 1 billion Christmas cards. That’s 17 each for every man, woman and child in the UK!
Councillor Richard Butler Portfolio Holder for Environment at Nottinghamshire County Council says “Although it’s nice to send and receive Christmas cards; they are one of the most wasteful festive items. Instead of sending cards, why not send a Christmas e-card to friends, family and colleagues?
If you normally send cards to multiple people at the same address, such as at work, why not place just one card in a communal area and pledge the money you saved to charity? After Christmas, try saving your cards and using them to make gift tags next year. Finally, when Christmas is over, make sure you recycle your Christmas cards- just pop them into your kerbside recycling bin.”
Look out for more restive reducing, re-using and recycling tips over the next few weeks. Veolia Environmental Services and Nottinghamshire County Council would like to wish all Nottinghamshire residents a healthy, happy and green Christmas!
Ends
Contacts
Lynne White
Communications Team
Veolia Environmental Services (UK) Plc.
Unit 4 Chase Park
Daleside Road
Nottingham
NG2 4GT
Tel: +44(0)115 850 5900
Fax: +44(0)115 850 5901
E: lynne.white@veolia.co.uk
Notes to the editor
Since 2006 Veolia Environmental Services, via a dedicated subsidiary, Veolia Environmental Services Nottinghamshire Ltd; has been helping Nottinghamshire County Council to manage household waste created in the County. Over the life of the 26 year PFI waste management contract Veolia ES Nottinghamshire will help to increase recycling to 52% by 2020 / 21 and to significantly reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.
To date, Veolia ES Nottinghamshire has:
- Provided waste awareness and education initiatives across the County
- Provided a Materials Recovery Facility in Mansfield, which has the capacity to handle around 85,000 tonnes per year of mixed dry recyclables from Nottinghamshire households. This includes paper, cardboard, plastic bottles and metal tins / cans
- Established a new, split-level Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) to serve Worksop
- Taken over the management of some of the County’s Household Waste Recycling Centres, establishing a unified approach and increasing standards at the sites to help maximise recycling levels achieved
- Refurbished several of the HWRCs to make them more modern and user-friendly
- Used existing, planned, constructed and licensed landfill sites to take residual waste from Nottinghamshire households
In the future, Veolia ES Nottinghamshire plans to:
- Create a network of new transfer stations to serve Newark and Worksop
- Utilise existing sites at Giltbrook and south Nottingham to receive and handle waste and recyclables from Borough and District council collections
- Continue our long-term refurbishment programme of the HWRCs
- Construct an 180,000 tonne per year Energy Recovery Facility in the Mansfield / Ashfield area to convert residual waste into power. The 15MW of energy recovered from the energy recovery process would be the equivalent of providing power to around 22,000 homes
- Provide a new composting facility in central Nottinghamshire and to utilise other existing composting sites, to handle a total of 100,000 tonnes of green waste per year
- Continue providing waste awareness and education initiatives across the County, in partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council
Veolia Environmental Services, part of the Veolia Environnement Group, is the UK’s leading waste management company. With a sizeable presence throughout the UK, mainland Europe and the world, Veolia Environmental Services employs 85,600 people worldwide, servicing more than 73 million customers in 33 countries. (Source: Human resources data 2009)
Veolia Environmental Services is the only global provider of a full range of services for handling hazardous and non-hazardous solid and liquid waste. It provides waste management and logistics services as well as materials recovery and recycling. Veolia Environmental Services generated revenue of €9.05 billion in 2009.
Veolia Environnement (Paris Euronext: VIE and NYSE: VE) is the worldwide reference in environmental services. The company has operations all around the world and provides tailored solutions to meet the needs of municipal and industrial customers in four complementary segments: water management, waste management, energy management and freight and passenger transportation. Veolia Environnement recorded revenue of €34.5 billion in 2009.
Further information can be obtained by visiting the websites:
www.veolia.co.uk
www.veolia.com
www.veolia.co.uk/nottinghamshire
Veolia Environnement is proud to be the title sponsor of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition