Estimates show that household waste over Christmas increases by a shocking 30% on average. After a YouGov poll also found 60 million unwanted presents are given each year, it’s obvious something must be done to make sure we’re disposing of unwanted items and waste responsibly.
Rehoming rather than disposing of your unwanted items
You should first consider if another person or family would make a great new home for what you don’t want. You may even be able to make some extra money from selling it on Gumtree, but also consider listing it on our Freebie section. It’s always better to find a way for goods to be reused, upcycled or sold where possible – one person’s unwanted item is another person’s treasure! See our picks of the best things to sell before Christmas on Gumtree here.
If this isn’t suitable and you need to discard your items as waste, below you’ll find information to make sure you’re disposing of waste in a way that’s better for you, the environment and your community.
Contact your council
Depending on where you live, your local authority may be able to help.
Plenty of Councils around the country have affordable waste disposal schemes, ranging from recycling and waste disposal, to garden waste. Make sure to explore what’s available in your local area – you might be surprised!
Using waste disposal services
If using your Council’s services isn’t an option for you, then the next step is to start researching waste removal companies to help take your unwanted items off your hands. At Gumtree, we’re passionate about taking care of the environment, so we’ve brought together three useful tips to help you use waste disposal services safely and legally.
- Make sure they’re registered to dispose of rubbish. Having the right credentials is a good indication that they’ll be responsible with your waste. You can find a full list of registered waste companies in your area through the following websites:
- Ask where they’re taking the waste. They should be disposing of your waste in an authorised facility. Therefore treat other answers, such as a yard or similar, with reasonable doubt.
- Get a quote from the company. If it seems unusually cheap or quick compared to others, then be wary. It’s possible that they may be involved in illegal disposal activities such as fly-tipping. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Your responsibilities for disposing of your unwanted items
It’s important to remember that legally, your waste is your responsibility. You could find yourself in trouble if your waste has been incorrectly disposed. So take care when using waste removal services. More information on the rules for disposing of waste legally can be found here.
The festive season is a brilliant time to think about giving rather than disposing of your unwanted items to new homes to make a fresh start in the new year. Where disposing of items as waste is the only option, make sure you take steps to ensure you do so safely and legally. Christmas is a time for sharing and caring, and this should extend to our environment!
