December 9 2013.


Households are being encouraged to recycle this Christmas as part of Lewes District Council’s Zero Heroes campaign. Launched earlier this year, Zero Heroes is raising awareness of food and household waste recycling facilities with a view to reducing the amount of waste going to incineration, whilst also offering residents the chance to win a share of £40,000 for an environmental project in their local community.

Each week, the general domestic waste volume of each of the different areas of Lewes district is posted on the Zero Heroes website to see who is doing most to reduce and recycle. Currently the residents of Newick are champions with an average reduction of just under a kilogram since June 2013.

There are lots of simple things you can do for a greener Christmas, that will help you reduce waste and also save you money.

1) Don’t be tempted by supermarket special offers such as buy-one, get-one-free. It’s estimated that we throw away around £60 million of food every Christmas in the UK so plan ahead, write a list, buy what you need… and remember, most supermarkets will re-open on Boxing Day.

2) There are some very realistic artificial Christmas trees on the market that you can use year after year thus saving you money in the long run, and avoiding the mess of falling pine needles on your carpet. If you decide to have a real tree, get one with roots so you can plant it in the garden afterwards, or take it to one of Lewes District Council’s tree recycling points.

3) LED fairy lights not only last for years but also are much more energy efficient than old style bulbs.

4) Make your own Christmas decorations. Kids will love making gingerbread decorations for the tree… and eating them!

5) Christmas dinner leftovers can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for two days, or you can freeze them for up to three months.

Community Chef Olly Dawson, pictured in action above, will be hosting the Zero Heroes live cookery kitchen at Newhaven Market on Saturday 14 December to show people how they can make simple, tasty meals using leftovers that otherwise would probably end up in the bin.

Visit www.zeroheroes.me for more information about how to reduce, reuse and recycle over the festive season, updates on changes to your kerbsite recycling and refuse collection dates, and details of how to win a share of £40,000 for an environmental project in your local community.