Avoid a 'rubbish' Christmas and get composting

Rather than overfilling bins with the debris of Christmas, Rochdale Borough Council is urging residents to take the environmentally friendly option by composting their waste.

On average more than 30% of domestic waste is compostable and this percentage rises over the Christmas period as everyone feasts into the night and overindulges themselves.

So a composting bin could make an unusual and useful Christmas gift, especially for gardeners who can use organic waste to create their own rich, compost to boost their blooms.

Councillor Jacqui Beswick, Cabinet Member for Place and Regulation, said, “For a keen gardener or anyone with an interest in the environment, a compost bin can make a great gift. It can be put to use almost immediately by composting all the remnants from your Christmas and New Year celebrations. By next year they’ll have rotted down to produce rich compost that will enhance your flower beds and vegetable crops.”

Here are Rochdale Borough Council’s top Christmas composting tips:

• During the festive period we all eat much more and produce more food waste. An a-peeling addition to your com-post bin will be the peelings from tasty winter vegetables and festive fruit such as satsumas and clementines.
• If your chestnuts have been roasting on an open fire, wood ash can be put into your compost bin; Let it cool right down first though, you don’t want to cook the worms and other little critters working hard to produce compost for your spring veg.
• Plain wrapping paper (non-metallic/glossy/plastic/waxy) and gift tags can be scrunched and added to the composter, but make sure you add it gradually and mix with your fruit and veg peelings to get the right balance. Cardboard packaging from toys and gifts will add fibre and structure to your bin, as well as paper napkins, Christmas crackers, inners and party hats. But again, be careful not to include anything metallic/glittery or made from plastic film.
• Remnants of New Year’s Eve parties like nut shells, wooden cocktail sticks, paper plates and some party food packaging can be added. Natural wine bottle corks can also be added but will take longer to break down.
• Once the festivities have drawn to a close, if there is any room left in your compost bin you can add natural homemade decorations, the holly and the ivy, mistletoe, paper chains and other compostable decorations.