The amount of waste generated this Christmas in Oxford has been revealed, with a total of 670 tonnes of waste being dumped this week alone, according to a commercial waste collection firm.
A national online survey carried out by TradeWaste.co.uk asked 4,500 people about the contents of their Christmas bins, with food waste and food packaging creating the most waste this year.
Charlotte Green, of TradeWaste.co.uk, said: “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 – four tonnes of uneaten cheese chucked out for example.
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A Christmas food waste mountain in 2019
“People in Oxford 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 11 tonnes of half-eaten mince pies where thrown out - seems a terrible shame to me.”
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According to the company, people in Oxford threw out 313 tonnes of food packaging, 112 tonnes of leftover Christmas dinners, 11 tonnes of leftover mince pies and four tonnes of cheese.
It is not only leftover food waste which is filling Oxford bins – wrapping paper, cards, decorations and of course Christmas trees are all being thrown out this week.
Much of the waste created at Christmas can be recycled.
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