21 Dec 2022

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To help with a stress-free post-Christmas clean-up the Christchurch City Council's Resource Recovery team have provided their top tips to make the job easier.

Disposing of Christmas gift wrapping

  • Most supermarkets, and Warehouse stores have soft plastic recycling scheme receptacles for clean soft plastics like plastic wrap,  courier bags, bubble wrap, plastic shopping bags and confectionery bar wrappers. Otherwise they need to go in the red bin.
  • Any clean polystyrene used to package items should be put in the red bin or dropped at one of the takeback schemes.
  • If you have more recycling than you can fit in your bin, you can drop it off one of the EcoDrop recycling centres for free.
  • If you can’t find a new home for your unwanted tinsel or Christmas ornaments, they should go in the red bin.

Food waste

Food scraps (including chicken and turkey bones) and any left-overs that you don’t eat can be disposed of in the green organics bin. Remember not to overfill the bin as lids must be flat for collection.

Disposing of the Christmas tree

  • Once your real Christmas tree has reached its use-by date, you can chop it into small pieces and put it in your green organics bin or take it to the EcoDrop green waste drop-off (standard charges will apply). 
  • If you’ve grown tired of your fake tree but it is still in good condition, take it to one of the EcoDrop recycling centres so that someone else can use it.
  • If your fake tree has lost its Christmas sparkle, you can dispose of it in the red bin.

Want to do more?

Check out a range of recycling schemes run by other organisations that can help you dispose of unwanted items. If you’re not sure which bin an item goes in you can use our handy Bin item look up tool or download our Christchurch Bins app.

Thanks for bin good this Christmas.