How to handle business waste management over the festive period

December is known for its festivities and celebrations, but the extra waste produced from all that has been consumed, bought and used is significant. 

Every Christmas, Westminster businesses throw away more than 6800 trees’ worth of cardboard boxes from deliveries alone. 

On top of this is the general waste thrown away. In Westminster, the amount of general waste created in December can generate enough electricity to roast the equivalent of 915,342 Christmas dinner turkeys. 

It is straightforward and easy to keep that extra waste to a minimum by reducing how much commercial waste you produce and recycling more of it. Keep reading to learn how to reduce your waste and make your business more sustainable for the season.

Did you know that in the UK, businesses and consumers throw away over 108 million rolls of wrapping paper, 54 million platefuls of food and 100 million black bags filled with gift packaging over Christmas?

Top priority: How to reduce your waste this December

The first step towards managing the enormous amount of waste generated over the festive season is to look at ways in which you can reduce the waste you produce. 

This may sound like a challenging task during the busy festive period, especially with an increase in business which naturally leads to an increase in waste. However, there are some easy ways to get started.

Download 9 tips for reducing your waste, which offers even more advice on waste reduction.

After making every effort to reduce your waste, we can assist you with getting rid of any leftover rubbish from your festive event. We can provide extra collections for your bins or containers, recycle your food waste and even collect your old Christmas tree for composting.

Download our waste reduction guide which gives even more handy tips on waste reduction.

After reducing as much of your waste as possible, we can help you get rid of that extra rubbish from office and staff parties, get you extra collections for your bins or containers, recycle your food waste and even collect your old Christmas tree for composting.

How to recycle Christmas food waste

Did you know that our food supply causes 34% of all greenhouse gases?

Many businesses, especially in the hospitality industry, experience excess food wastage over the Christmas season, but there are steps you can take to change this.

As always, the best way to manage food waste is to reduce it. Make sure to only order what you need. Any excess food from business or catering-related events can go to local food banks or to your employees to take home. 

For any unavoidable food waste, make sure it is sorted correctly into the food waste bin. Take a look at our food waste guide for more information, as well as tips for reducing and managing food waste.

Handling Christmas trees

Did you know 10 million Christmas Trees are sold every year?

The best way to handle Christmas trees is to rent a potted tree that you can send back alive and healthy to the farm for reuse next year.

If you cannot make it to the collection point yourself, we also offer collections from your doorstep.

If your tree is under 2 meters tall, you can affix the yellow sticker and present it for your next waste collection. You can also cut up the tree and place it in your general waste bin. 

Larger trees need a booking made to have them collected, which you can do here.

How to manage event waste from your work parties and corporate festivities

Did you know that approximately 18,000 tonnes of recycling and waste will be produced across the borough during the festive season? 

To create a more sustainable recycling rate in Westminster, we need to adjust how we manage our extra waste. This is where local businesses can make a significant impact. 

One important way to address waste management is to properly sort event rubbish, recycling and food waste. Recycling leads to less energy being used on sourcing and processing new raw materials, producing lower carbon emissions and limiting methane-releasing waste from entering landfill. 

Take these steps at your next event: 

• Put paper, glass, recyclable plastic, cans, Tetra paks and cardboard into the recycling bin. 
• Put food-soiled items, plastic bags and polystyrene in general waste.
• Make sure any food waste from business or catering-related events goes into the food waste bin.

Commercial Waste Services are here to help during the festive season

Properly handling your business-related waste can be a challenge at any time of the year, but during the busy festive season, it can seem even more complicated. 

Commercial Waste Services are here to help. We are happy to provide a free waste audit to help you determine your waste needs and get you started on your path to more sustainable waste management. 

If you already know you will be producing extra waste this month, you can depend on us to provide extra collections. All of our collection services for businesses operate as normal during the Christmas and New Year’s period and there are no service changes. If you have special service requests during December then just let us know.