EBC Waste Not Want Not - December 2025

Waste Not Food
Leaflets are going out to households across Erewash about new food waste collections which are being introduced following a new legal requirement for councils.

In the new year, you will receive your food waste collection pack which will include:

A small grey caddy for the kitchen (200mm tall and 265mm wide) plus liners for them.
An outside green food recycling bin which will be emptied by the crew. These are 400mm tall and 320mm wide. They're also wildlife proof with a lockable lid!
An information leaflet and house number sticker to go on your bin.
These will help you be ready before food waste collections start in March 2026.

A food waste questions and answers page is available on the Erewash Borough Council website at the button below.

Make the most of Christmas dinner
There are a few ways to make Christmas dinner more sustainable:

* Only buy what you need. Think about the number of portions you'll need for any guests, make a list and then stick what you need. You'll save some money too!
* Buy local. Whether it's for meat or veg, you'll be supporting local businesses and the ingredients won't have to travel as far. It can be higher quality too!
* Use your leftovers. Love Food, Hate Waste has recipes for you to try if you're not sure where to start.
* Love Food, Hate Waste is also sharing resources about the UK's Most Wasted food items during the festive season and how to reduce your food waste. 8.2 million potatoes are wasted every single day – that's 41% of all the spuds we buy!

Waste Not Materials
Christmas waste collections
There may be changes to your bin collections over the festive period.

There will be no waste and recycling collections on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day. Instead, collections for:

Christmas Day (Thursday 25 December) will take place on Monday 22 December 2025
Boxing Day (Friday 26 December) will take place on Tuesday 23 December 2025
New Years Day (Thursday 1 January) will take place Monday 29 December 2025.
All other days during this time will remain as normal.

If you're not sure, check your bin day online at the link below.

Real Christmas Tree Recycling
A collection point for real Christmas trees will be available at West Park, Long Eaton and Rutland Sports Park, Ilkeston from Tuesday 23 December to Sunday 11 January.

The trees collected will be composted, so please make sure to remove all of your decorations. You might want to keep those decorations for next year too!

Make your Christmas jumper kind this year!
Rather than buying a new jumper for Christmas Day or any festive celebrations you've got planned this year, why not work with what you've already got?

Save the Children share some advice for making your Christmas jumper environmentally friendly:

Don't buy a brand new jumper. You can buy one second-hand from their online shop. People often only wear them once, so don't let them go to waste!
Get crafty and upcycle a jumper. Grab an old jumper and cover it with stickers, felt, tinsel, eco-friendly glitter, baubles or whatever you have to hand!

Get Involved
Have you decided your New Year's resolutions yet?
It's that time of year where we reflect on what we've achieved and start to think about our visions for next year.

If you haven't decided what you'd like to set as a goal yet, why not try to:

* Use less plastic. Buy fruit and vegetables loose, and bring a reusable shopping bag rather than wasting money on plastic bags.
* Reduce food waste. Freeze your leftovers where you can so they can be used later, and only buy what you need - it'll also make your food shop a bit cheaper.
* Save energy. Small changes like turning off lights when not in use and turning down your heating a degree go a long way for the environment and your bills!
* Eat less meat, or even try vegan meals. Registration for Veganuary 2026 is officially open, and you might be eating some vegan meals already without realising it. Sign up at the button below.

Let us know your thoughts
If you have any questions, suggestions, or ideas to help us all Waste Not, Want Not then let us know.

We are also very interested in working collaboratively with community groups and businesses to ensure a healthy and resilient future for Erewash.

Please get in touch at victoria.richards@erewash.gov.uk