Artificial Christmas trees are not recyclable.
Try to use your artificial Christmas tree for as many years as possible before replacing it.
If you want to say goodbye to your tree after the festivities, remember that trees in good condition can be donated via charity shops, or you may be able to sell it.
You can also place your tree in your green lidded general waste bin (if small enough to fit), or take it to Jenkins Lane Reuse and Recycling Centre Reuse and Recycling Centre for disposal, or arrange for the tree to be collected as an item of bulky waste.
Aluminum foil and foil trays can be recycled in your orange lidded recycling bin.
Make sure foil and trays are clean and dry to avoid contaminating other recyclable materials in your orange lidded recycling bin.
Never put batteries in your household waste or recycling bins, they can cause fires and explosions in waste collection vehicles and in waste sorting machinery.
All batteries can be recycled at Jenkins Lane Reuse and Recycling Centre.
All large battery retailers are obliged to take back used household batteries for recycling.
Bottles and cans can be recycled in your orange lidded recycling bin.
Remember to rinse them out first, drain and then pop the lid back on before recycling.
Squeeze bottles and cans to save space in the orange-lidded bin.
Bottles and cans can also be taken to on-street recycling banks and Jenkins Lane Reuse and Recycling Centre.
Christmas cards and their envelopes can be recycled unless they have foil, glitter, ribbons or bows on them. Please, remove any of these decorations before you recycle and put them in your orange lidded recycling bin.
You could also keep this year’s cards to create your own gift tags for next year!
Boxes or envelopes made from corrugated cardboard can be recycled in your orange lidded recycling bin.
Remember to remove any plastic or polystyrene inserts and excess sticky tape from cardboard boxes before recycling.
Fold or flatten cardboard boxes to make extra space in your orange lidded recycling bin.
In the London Borough of Newham, we host repair cafés a few times a year, where you can have your clothing or textiles repaired for free, and clothes swap events, where you can exchange your old clothing for pre-loved items.
Do not put clothing, bags and belts in your household waste or recycling bins. Instead, choose one of these sustainable options:
Repair for Free: Bring your clothes and textiles to our Repair Cafés and get them fixed by skilled volunteers.
Swap at Events: Exchange your old clothing for pre-loved items at our Clothes Swap events.
Donate or Recycle: Good quality items can be sold or donated to charity. Textiles including clothing, footwear, handbags, belts, and shoes can be taken to a clothes bank, booked for a free Traid home collection, or taken to Jenkins Lane Reuse and Recycling Centre.
Find out when our next events are here: ELWA Campaigns.
Christmas crackers tend to be made up of a mix of materials and components making them unsuitable for recycling.
Consider taking time to separate out the recyclable cardboard from the non-recyclable embellishments.
Otherwise, place them in your green-lidded general waste bin. Consider making or investing in reusable crackers next year.
The majority of decorations are not recyclable and need to be disposed of in your green-lidded general waste bin or taken to Jenkins Lane Reuse and Recycling Centre. This includes baubles (glass or plastic) and tinsel.
If the decorations are in good condition, they could be donated to charity instead.
Broken baubles and ornaments with sharp edges should be carefully wrapped before disposal to reduce the chance of anyone being harmed.
Fairy or Christmas lights that require batteries or a plug to operate are classified as Waste Electronic or Electrical Equipment (WEEE) and cannot be disposed of through household waste or recycling collections.
All household electronic and electrical items can be recycled at Jenkins Lane Reuse and Recycling Centre or at WEEE collection points.
A number of households can recycle food waste using grey food waste caddies. This service is being introduced across the borough in three phases from Autumn 2025 to Spring 2027.
- If you’re part of the first rollout, please use your grey caddy to recycle your food waste.
- If not, continue to dispose of food waste in your green-lidded general waste bin.
- For more information please visit this page Food Waste Collection FAQs – Introducing Weekly Food Waste Recycling Collection – In Three Phases – Newham Counci
Reduce spending and food waste
Last year 2 in 5 mince pies were uneaten, meaning we threw away 47 million of them.
This year, plan your shopping so you can enjoy every last crumb.
To avoid excess food waste, make a shopping list before you hit the supermarket to make sure you don’t buy and waste excess food.
You can also visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com for recipe tips on dealing with leftovers and an A to Z of how to store your food.
Remember to recycle your foil trays afterwards.
The free Olio app is an effective way to share unwanted food items if your friends, neighbours or family do not want it.
Home Composting
Tip: Turn your Christmas leftovers into something good
Did you know you can turn food scraps and garden trimmings into free, nutrient-rich compost for your plants? Newham residents can get a subsidised compost bin from just £16.49 - a great way to reduce waste ahead of the new food waste service which we started to offer to some of our residents.. Order yours online from GetComposting.
It’s a small gift that helps your garden — and the planet.
We offer subsidised compost bins to residents - you can order yours here or apply to start your own Community Compost group here.
Composting: Fruit and vegetable peelings, tea bags, coffee granules and eggshells can be home composted.
Not all wrapping paper is recyclable. If your wrapping paper scrunches and stays scrunched, is not shiny or covered in glitter, it can be recycled in your orange lidded recycling bin.
Tissue and crepe paper can’t be recycled.
Gift tags, sticky tape, string, bows and ribbons cannot be recycled and should be removed from recyclable paper and disposed of in your green lidded general waste bin.
Paper and card gift bags can be reused or recycled in your orange lidded recycling bin.
Bags with lots of glitter or other embellishments and those made from anything other than paper or cardboard can’t be recycled, and should either be reused or placed in your green lidded general waste bin.
Polystyrene blocks and small shapes are not recyclable.
Please dispose of them in your green lidded general waste bin or at Jenkins Lane Reuse and Recycling Centre.
'Real' Christmas trees can be recycled and turned into chippings for parks.
Once you have removed the decorations (baubles, tinsel, lights) off your real Christmas tree, you can book a free christmas tree collection so that it can be picked up and recycled.
You can also take it to Jenkins Lane Reuse and Recycling Centre.
Plastic (except any black plastic) and metal tins and containers can be recycled in your orange lidded recycling bin.
Please remove all sweets and sweet wrappers first as these are not recyclable.
Working toys and games in good condition can be sold, given away or donated to charity.
Three charities who specialise in giving unwanted toys a second life are: Toys4life, Young Planet, The Toy Project, although many other charities will accept toys and games in good condition.
Broken toys, incomplete games and those in poor condition cannot be recycled as they typically contain hard plastics and a mix of other materials, these items should be taken to Jenkins Lane Reuse and Recycling Centre.
Toys that require batteries or a plug to operate are classified as Waste Electronic or Electrical Equipment (WEEE) and cannot be disposed of through household waste or recycling collections.
All household electronic and electrical items can be recycled at Jenkins Lane Reuse and Recycling Centre or at WEEE collection points.
Unwanted items should be returned to the shop (always give a gift receipt), re-sold, donated to charity or passed on to other people.
Natural elements (such as holly, ivy, mistletoe, leaves, twigs and pinecones) can be placed in your home compost bin or taken to Jenkins Lane Reuse and Recycling Centre to be composted.
Do not compost anything that’s covered in glitter, paint, glue or fake snow.
Everything else can be reused or placed in your green-lidded general waste bin.
