Lucy Elam, 51, Student Recruitment Officer, of Brocklehurst Avenue, stands surrounded by a staggering amount of Christmas waste built up over many years

The Christmas period has become one of the most environmentally damaging times of the year. Figures from GWP Group reveal that the festive season leads to over half a million tonnes of material waste with much of it still recyclable or avoidable.

While families focus on celebration, the numbers behind our seasonal habits tell a different story, one of excess and avoidable waste.

Credit: Pauline webb. Christmas gift bags just like these are used once and discarded each year, despite being easy to save and reuse

From 114,000 tonnes of plastic packaging waste to 300,000 tonnes of card packaging waste, even the Christmas trees that are bought each year in the UK generate around 12,000 tonnes waste come January.

“I urge people to just really think about what they’ve already got and encourage them to reuse whenever possible.”

Pauline Webb, Professional organiser and decluttering expert

Pauline Webb is a Nottingham-based professional organiser and decluttering expert who has worked with clients overwhelmed by post-Christmas clutter to help them understand the practical and realistic ways they can prevent it.

Pauline said: “Every year I do a big push on encouraging people to make room before the Christmas period arrives.”

She added: “It takes so much pressure off people if they can get organised in advance.”

A great deal of the waste spike stems from people not realising what they already have and rather repurchasing because of ease, Pauline said: “I urge people to just really think about what they’ve already got and encourage them to reuse whenever possible.”

Credit: Pauline Webb. Pauline helps clients prepare for the Christmas period by organising and preparing in advance

This behaviour helps explain why around 114,000 tonnes of plastic packaging and 500 tonnes of Christmas lights are discarded every year. The items that are bought for single day use like, foil trays, wrapping and plastic storage containers can quickly become clutter and without an organised system in place, people head straight to the easiest option, which is to just bin them.

Pauline helps her clients prepare for Christmas by encouraging them to plan ahead. She said: “It’s all about planning and not overbuying. When it comes to food think about what you currently have and use up leftovers to create room for Christmas food.”

She added: “If you create more space at home in advance, you can prepare for the aftermath of Christmas.”

With the data showing the scale of waste that is produced at Christmas, Pauline urges people to be more mindful in their organising as conscious preparation could minimise the post-festive landfill mountain.

Visit http://www.paulinewebb.co.uk to see the practical ways you could help minimise waste this Christmas from the comfort of your home such as:

  • Using newspaper or children’s drawings for wrapping paper.
  • Turning old Christmas cards into new gift tags.
  • Turning leftover food into sandwiches, soups or pies.
  • Reusing left over glass jars for homemade gifts like jams or hot chocolate mixes.
  • Books, toys or clothes in great condition make thoughtful eco-friendly gifts.