Staggering 1,100 tonnes of Christmas waste was thrown out in Milton Keynes this week

As city refuse collectors struggle to catch up, an online survey carried out by TradeWaste.co.uk asked 4,500 people about the contents of their Christmas bins. And the remarkable results included a total of seven tonnes of uneaten cheese and 18 tonnes of half eaten mince pies!

“Even with a slightly toned-down Christmas this year, we all know how full the bins get after Christmas – it’s now clear the huge environmental impact all this waste has. The numbers are simply astonishing – 7 tonnes of uneaten cheese chucked out for example”, said TradeWaste spokesperson Charlotte Green.

She added: “People in Milton Keynes seem to have taken to eating well this year, with lockdowns and all the doom and gloom – it seems comfort eating has become a National institution, however nearly 18 tonnes of half-eaten mince pies where thrown out - seems a terrible shame to me."

Christmas food lovers (and haters) in Milton Keynes also chucked out this year 519 tonnes of food packaging, 185 tonnes of leftover Christmas dinners, 90 tonnes of glass drink bottles and 27 tonnes of drink cans.

It is not only leftover food waste which is filling Milton Keynes bins. Wrapping paper, cards, decorations and of course Christmas trees are all being thrown out this week – all 44 tonnes of them.

Luckily much of the waste created at Christmas can be recycled with trees being shredded into chippings, cards being munched for paper and some wrapping paper can be recycled too.

The interesting one is Christmas lights – these should not be put in a general waste bin, instead they need to be taken to a local authority waste site and put in the small electricals skip.

Seasonal goods we are chucking out in Milton Keynes this week include 110 tonnes of Christmas cards, 64 tonnes of Christmas wrapping paper, 46 tonnes of Christmas decorations, 44 tonnes of Christmas trees and 251 miles of broken Christmas lights.

Charlotte said: “It’s really difficult to reduce waste at Christmas, but we can all do our bit. It’s really important to split up all the waste you have and put it in the correct bin – some need to be processed differently – like broken Christmas lights."