We can all minimise our Christmas carbon footprint by not wasting food (See separate blog)  and by reducing, composting  and recycling other Christmas waste.

Send  photos of your efforts to compost Christmas waste to carryoncomposting1@gmail.com

 or post them at     https://www.facebook.com/carryoncomposting/

  Baubles   Glass and plastic  baubles are not compostable and are not usually recyclable. Glass  baubles should  be wrapped up and placed in the  general waste. Most  Plastic baubles are not recyclable (check the label), will have to go to landfill. If  plastic or glass baubles are in good condition,  they are  best saved and   donated  to a local charity shop next year.

 Batteries  are not compostable.  Used batteries should be taken to a collection point  at the recycling depot or  some electrical shops.  

 Cardboard  is compostable, with  corrugated boxes being a particularly excellent source of carbon rich “browns” . The boxes should be torn or cut into smallish pieces and scrunched up when added to the bin. If the cardboard is being sent to be recycled  flatten the boxes to save space and keep them dry, as  if they get wet and go mouldy, they cannot be recycled. However, is best made  wet cardboard before being composted.  Plastic film and sticky tape should be removed from paper and card packaging before recycling. It is best to remove it from items being composted as otherwise it will appear in the finished compost.

 Christmas cards     Many people are  sending ‘e’ cards now, but  computer use also has an  environmental  cost.  Buy cards that  are Forest Stewardship Council certified, this ensures the paper used has been sustainably and ethically produced.

When Christmas is over cards should  be reused, composted, or recycled. There are many crafting activities using cards  for children interested in reducing waste e.g.  making gift tags. paper chains or cut  out the images to make cards for next year.

 As a composter the first choice should be composting,  cardboard is a good source of winter browns. Cards can also be  recycled.  Avoid buying, or separate, cards that have added  glitter, bows, or  shiny metallic finishes as these are not compostable or recyclable and so should be  sent to landfill. Unfortunately, most glitter cannot  be processed in recycling plants as it clogs up the equipment, but the backs of paper Christmas cards without a coating or glitter can be composted or added to the L.A. bag or box recycling collection (see Glitter below).

 If the card looks as if it is metallic or contains plastic or laminated materials do a scrunch test.  If it does not stay scrunched the card cannot be composted or recycled.

 The volume of waste wrapping can be reduced by giving presents in bags that can be reused next year saving on paper and waste.

 Christmas trees  can be composted but they need shredding  first to increase the surface area exposed to the composting microbes and speed decomposition.  If a shredder is not available  branches can be cut into small “thumb” size pieces, but these will be slow to compost, and it is easier to donate the tree to the Local Authority to be shredded into chippings which are then used in parks etc. Local authorities often arrange drop-off points or special collections of 'real' trees in early January. Check your local authority website for more information. If the council does not offer a system for dealing with Christmas trees they can be cut into small pieces and put in the garden waste bin.

Pine needles can be composted or turned to leafmould, but they will be slow to decompose, and any significant quantities are best treated separately from deciduous leaves.

Unfortunately, artificial trees, most of which are made from the dreaded plastic face only one possible destination when their final day arrives: landfill. If you have an artificial tree, the best thing to do is use it for as many seasons as possible, they can last 15+ years,  or donate it to someone else who will use it. ( Many areas have  a Freecycle type network on social media).

 Corks   Natural corks can be composted but will take a time to break down and might need returning to the bin for a second session when the compost is harvested. A glass of wine while sorting the corks can be helpful.

 Electronics.  Electronic items may not immediately come to mind as being Christmas waste but so many people get new electronic gadgets  as Christmas gifts large numbers of electrical items are disposed of immediately after the festive season. Use any upcycling services in your area if possible or any  separate area for working electrical items at the  recycling centres. Christmas tree lights are recyclable but need to be taken  to a Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) recycling centre. When buying replacements, choose LED lights which use less electricity than older incandescent types. Remove  batteries from anything that is likely to be stored  for next year and use them elsewhere until they run out of power.  When disposing of the batteries keep them  separate from the other waste materials  recycling them at the  nearest battery collection point.

 Gift tags etc.  Tags made from card can be cut up and composted having first removed any plastic ties. Plastic or foil tags will not compost.

 Glitter     Large numbers of Christmas items are decorated with glitter, including cards, wrapping paper and decorations. Most of the glitter contains microplastic which does not  compost or be  recycled. Items containing glitter should be put into a sealed container such as a plastic bag, that is being binned anyway, and put into the landfill collection system. Make a note not to buy  glitter  next year.

Biodegradable glitter made from a certified compostable film that meets  the European (EN13432) and the American (ASTM D6400) standards is available but may require a little effort to find.
Eco glitter is made of a cellulose film mainly derived from eucalyptus trees from sustainably sourced FSC plantations and is designed to break-down in the sewage system. The product sold in the USA is certified as home compostable.

However, recent research suggests that  biodegradable alternatives may be  little or no better for the environment than “traditional” PET glitter in respect to the effects on root length and chlorophyll levels being  almost identical to those of traditional glitter.  Research led by Dr Dannielle Green of Anglia Ruskin University and  published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials (Vol 402. 124070)      indicates after 36 days, the presence of glitter halved the root length of common duckweed (Lemna minor), while levels of chlorophyll in the water were three times lower than in control conditions, indicating reduced levels of phytoplankton, or microalgae.

 Paper Chains.   Paper chains with prints or colours are not ideal for recycling and are probably best off in the compost bin.

 Paper napkins  and party hats from the crackers can be composted.

Presents.  There are 60 million unwanted gifts each Christmas.  Next year minimise waste by  checking what presents the  recipient wants. If it is a low-cost token gift, try to avoid tat and  opt for items with minimal waste. Avoid buying novelty Christmas jumpers and other  clothing as gifts that will only be worn once or twice before replaced with next years model. If you are disposing of novelty clothing take it to a charity shop in October

 Ribbons and decorations.  Ribbon bows and other accessories cannot be recycled but they can be reused, so keep them safe for next year.  Ribbons and  bows made of natural fibres can be composted but many will contain foil or plastic and cannot be composted or recycled. Decorations are reusable, keep them  and in years to come, as an antique, they may be worth what you paid for them

 Wood ash  from open fires or wood burners can be composted if mixed with other materials. 

 Wood  Cocktail sticks although small can be composted. To avoid pets trying to eat them and injuring themselves put the sticks into a container and empty it directly into the kitchen caddy. Holly, ivy, and mistletoe can be composted. The holly is best shredded.

 Wrapping paper and boxes  When buyingwrapping paper check that it is labelled ‘recyclable’. There is a growing movement to provide this information on the packaging so keep an eye out when choosing yours. Paper and card are a good source of “browns” and can help create air pockets in the compost bin. If possible, use string rather than sticky tape, ribbons and bows as these will need removing  before composting or  recycling. Plastic tape does not breakdown during composting so if it goes into the compost bin it will be in the compost when you use it.   Some paper and cards will contain plastic or laminated materials which  cannot be composted or recycled. Scrunch the item up in your hand. If it stays 'scrunched' it can be composted or recycled. Paper can be shredded and used as  protective packaging around future gifts, or even as a “cloth” for cleaning window and mirrors.

Wreaths  Christmas wreaths made from plant materials can be composted after any glue, plastic and wiring are removed.  If leaves have been coated with glitter discard them to landfill. Most council will accept “clean” Christmas wreaths as garden waste.

Further information on Christmas Composting and a wide range of other compost topics plus talks for Garden Clubs and Allotment Societies and sessions for schools can be found at www.carryoncomposting.com

New to composting? Practical training sessions can be arranged (when Regulations allow)  at our Composting Demonstration site at Stokes Wood Allotments Leicester

In the first blog of this series, I gave details of the quantities of food wasted at Christmas. In this blog I give some information on reducing the waste. As always, the advice is avoid waste by only buying what you can eat. This entry finishes with a suggestion that you look at using a Bokashi system to ferment  cooked food  so that it can be composted safely. You can also use Council kerbside food waste  collections where they are offered.

 TURKEY The equivalent of  263,000 turkeys are wasted  yet leftover  turkey can be used it in any recipe which calls for leftover chicken.

If you cannot eat it freeze it. Post Brexit   with possible delays when we take back control at our ports and docks it may  be good to have  some  cooked meat in the freezer. Simply wrap it and  label it. Check out the New Zealand site  https://lovefoodhatewaste.co.nz/8-ways-with-leftover-turkey/ for a change or

BRUSSELS SPROUTS   It can be hard to resist special offers in December and you must (?) have sprouts at dinner even if 17.2 million Brussels sprouts  will be wasted.  They can be composted but are best eaten Bubble and squeak is quick, easy way of using left over sprouts, remaining roast spuds, and various veg, serve up with pickles

 https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/article/bubble-and-squeak

 CARROTS 11.9 million carrots are wasted at Christmas. I assume by people who do not like bubble and  squeak. OK this year let us go for something different.  Fermented Carrots.  Fermenting is a good way to make vegetables last longer  All you need for this  recipe is salt to make the  brine and  water. It will give the kids something to do:

  https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/recipe/fermented-carrots%206

 ROAST POTATO It is estimated that 11.3 million roast potatoes are wasted at Christmas. BBC Good Food have  plenty of ideas to use up leftover mash or roasties. If you do not use them all in the bubble and squeak,  they can be served them in tasty pies, soups, tortillas and fish cakes, or a classic hash. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/leftover-potato-recipes

CHRISTMAS CAKE If you have not made your cake  yet, there’s still time! Check out this recipe   www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/recipe/last-minute-christmas-cake.

At the end of the holiday when the  relatives have gone, and you are back in your bubble  the Christmas cake is still going strong! Check use-by dates on shop bought ones, but homemade Christmas cakes can keep for a good couple of months. Simply keep it in an airtight container. Or check out the recipes at https://easyfood.ie/recipe/5-ways-with-leftover-christmas-cake/

Love Food Hate Waste Christmas pages have lots of recipes and information go to  https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/search?search_api_views_fulltext=christmas

Bokashi your food waste

Why not buy a  pair of Bokashi bins for Christmas? These will deal with all types of food waste, that others say cannot be composted, by converting it into a pickled pre-composted that can then be buried or added to a normal compost bin without attracting rats!  The photo shows waste in a Bokashi bin

Low cost  Bokashi bins can be obtained from Getcomposting.com and a range of other suppliers. Details of using the bins can be seen at  http://www.carryoncomposting.com/416920212

 This is the first of a series of blogs on reducing and composting Christmas waste. It is taken from the Christmas waste page at http://www.carryoncomposting.com/441149728  where the information is provided as a download.

In addition, there is a  page on  winter composting techniques. It is important that we do all we can to reduce waste including food waste at Christmas so check out sites such as Love Food Hate Waste  and your local council web pages.

Christmas is a festival which results in vast quantities of food waste. During the Christmas season, we in the UK eat much more than we need and 80 per cent more than during the rest of the year. Not only are we eating more we are wasting more binning approximately 230,000 tonnes of food waste during the Christmas period with 53 per cent of people confessing  that they throw away more food at Christmas and about a third of families admit to wasting some of their Christmas dinner. In fact, it is estimated that nearly 10 per cent of every festive meal is wasted. This is valued at about £64 million.  Of all the festive food turkey causes the most problems with one in 10 families having binned an entire bird as the result of a cooking mishap.

At Christmas we waste the equivalent of:

•  263,000 turkeys
• 17.2 million Brussels sprouts.
• 11.9 million carrots,
• 11.3 million roast potatoes,
• 6 million pigs in blankets.
• 740,000 slices of Christmas pudding
• 7.4 million mince pies.

  The environmental impact does not end with growing and discarding food. The festival is completed by discarding 250 tonnes of Christmas Trees in January. Only 1.2 million of the 6 million trees bought each year will be recycled.,

In addition, we will waste  4.200 tons of foil, 125.000 tons of plastic, 750m bottles, 500m cans and 1bn Christmas cards contributing to the  3m tons of general waste every Christmas. Please help reduce this waste by reading the section on non-food waste below.

Plan now for Christmas food waste composting

The best way to reduce Christmas food waste is by buying only what is needed and cooking and eating any leftovers. As always, the key message is Reduce, Reuse and Recycle but as a composting website our message is to home compost your waste where possible. This covers all “unavoidable” food waste including cooked food.  Uncooked fruit and vegetable wastes e.g.  peelings from Christmas vegetables and satsuma peel, can all be composted in the normal compost bin. Cooked foods can only be composted in a hot composting system, a food waste digester, bokashi bin or wormery.

 Normally it is not advisable to add liquids to compost bins, but they will take “plate scrapping” quantities of gravy, cranberry sauce, etc. preferably mixed with shredded paper or cardboard Christmas nuts can be smashed with a hammer and composted. Food waste counts as a composting “green” and it must be balanced by adding an equal amount of “brown” materials to the compost bin.

Compost Bins for Cooked Food

Now is the time to plan to extend the range of food waste that you can compost at home by adding a food compost bin to your Christmas list or by buying one as a December treat. Depending on your needs and resources one of the following three bins can take your cooked food waste plus the normal garden waste.

 Hotbin (See photo)  We have  two Hotbins at the Stokes Wood Composting Demonstration, site using in Leicester and use them to compost waste food from the café as well as normal garden waste. They are well insulated so ideal for winter use and it is relatively easy to maintain a compost temperature of 40-55⁰C provided they are fed regularly. The Hotbin is now produced in two sizes.  I use woodchip as the main bulking agent but also add shredded paper to help absorb the moisture. 

Green Johanna  I have used a Green Johanna for over ten  years both at home and on our Demonstration site.  All Christmas food waste can be composted as well as garden waste. A winter jacket can be purchased separately to keep it working when the average outdoor temperature drops below 5°C but I tend to wrap mine in several layers of bubble wrap. 

Jorraform 125    The Joraform compost tumblers are the most expensive of the three I have on display but are excellent for food composting being quick and easy to use. I have used mine to compost waste sandwiches and other  food from the café when the site was at a Botanical Garden and the dual  chambers proved very useful . They have a rust proof galvanized steel construction insulated with polyethylene. Wood pellets or wood shavings are recommended as a bulking agent, but I use wood chip which is available for free locally. I have used one of these bins for about ten  years and found it an excellent piece of equipment. Being a tombola drum shaped tumbler system, they are easy to aerate. 

Green Cone.  The Green Cone is not a composter; it is specifically designed as a domestic food digestion system for waste such as cooked vegetables, pasta, meat, bones, and dairy products. It is suited to a family producing relatively small quantities of food waste and  is not designed to take garden or non-kitchen food waste. It needs a well-drained soil .

 Bokashi Bins.    Bokashi is also a  useful system for those who cold compost as it allows cooked food to be treated so that  it can be composted in a conventional compost bin. Bokashi bins can be kept in the kitchen or outside in a shed or garden.

Check out www.carryoncomposting.com for more details of composting techniques including Bokashi and composting without a compost bin.

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One of our  site Reception bins today had a pile of wet soli containing  weeds left to be composted. No doubt someone was keen to get it off their plot with the minimum of effort on their part.  Unfortunately, a mass of soil added to a compost bin turns it from a compost  heap to a soil heap.

Soil is seldom  added to the modern cold composting systems in any quantity. While adding some soil on the roots of weeds etc.is acceptable. Adding large clods or clumps should be avoided as too much soil added in one go can become compacted and reduce airflow within the heap.  Another potential problem is  that whatever is in that soil will go into the  compost. Even if it is not compostable e.g., stones, plastic  so  sieving before adding it to the bin might be advisable and is not possible if the soil is attached to the roots of weeds. 

It is best to work on the general rule that  when the material is in the wheelbarrow it has the appearance of a mass of plants with some soil attached it is acceptable but if it appears to be a barrow of soil containing some weeds the soil needs knocking off the roots, which might involve drying it,  or it may be  more suited to a weed pile

However, it is the chance for a reminder[RW1]  that a layer of soil,  or compost, in the base of a new compost bin will  help kick start the composting process; it will contain additional  microbes  bacteria necessary for the compost process .

If hot composting using the Indore method a thin layer (1/8 -1/4 inch thick ) of soil in a compost bin  is an effective way of introducing millions of microbes will give the composting process a boost using other methods layers 3-5 inches thick can be used. Although, in both cases mature compost from an existing bin is probably more effective.  Soil layers in the heap will also help absorb any fermentation products  and restricts their loss to the atmosphere. Soil added as the top layer of a bin will reduce heat loss and water evaporation.

Adding larger volumes of soil to compost would offer no great benefit with some sources suggesting that the volume of soil should not exceed 5% of the volume of the heap

Some allotment sites that had banned  bonfires over the summer, to avoid inconveniencing local householders who were at home and had their windows open to increase ventilation have now lifted the bans.  I am in favour of shredding and composting organic waste rather than burning it but if bonfires are being used the wood ash produced can be rescued and  composted.

Wood ash from bonfires of plant waste, hedge cuttings and pruning’s can be composted as can ash from  paper or cardboard and untreated and unpainted wood. It is not advisable to compost ash from bonfires that have included treated  or painted wood, synthetic materials, and plastic.  

 Wood ash is high in potassium, and contains phosphorous as well as manganese, iron, zinc, and calcium but the main feature in respect to composting is that wood ash is alkaline so it will reduce the acidity of the compost bins containing significant amounts of kitchen waste and grass mowings creating a better environment  for composting worms.  

However,  the quantity of wood ash added to the bin should be limited to a thin layer, or handful, every 6 inches (15cm). The ash should be carefully mixed or scattered so that it does not  clump, resulting in an  anaerobic  area within the bin. If substituting wood ash  for lime in one of the traditional composting layered system, it is about  half as effective as lime in neutralising acid.

It is best to avoid composting or collecting ash on windy days, when the ash is likely to be blown over the site and eye protection might be advisable .  Gloves should be worn as the  ash may cause skin  irritation.

If collecting wood ash for a community composting  site, or intending to store it, use  a  sealed metal  container, as the  nutrients are water soluble and hot ashes may melt  plastic.   Do not scatter wood ash over one of the site Reception bins.