Recycling Woodlands

It’s the age old question of what to do with your Christmas cards now the holiday season is over. After all the money and time it has taken over the last month to make sure they arrive to you in time for Christmas makes it such a shame to just recycle them now its January. It’s not like you can reuse them, or is it?

Maybe next year you could make your own cards by collecting the fronts of the cards and bits of ribbon you may have been given over the holiday season. You could create a whole range of individually, handmade Christmas cards to give to your loved ones next year without having a huge impact on the environment and costing you a fortune. They are also a fun activity to do with your family and really shows people you have made an effort with your cards. Take a look at the Channel 4 website for a step by step guide to making your own cards.

© Channel 4

If you want to take this further you could also have a go at making your wrapping paper.

Alternatively, if you’re like me and not hugely creative then don’t worry because Marks & Spencer’s have recently launched a campaign for all their customers to go into their stores and help the Woodland Trust turn the festive waste into woodland by recycling old cards. From the 2^nd to the 31^st January, specially marked Christmas card recycling bins will be placed in stores. The company has also confirmed it is committed to planting 1 tree for every 1,000 cards returned into the store with the aim of saving over 10 million cards from the bins.

It gets even better than this, you can even vote to determine the location of the trees that are to be planted. This is a really innovative way to get everyone involved in this process. Sue Holden, Chief Executive of the Woodland Trust, said “we are delighted that Marks and Spencer’s are continuing the highly successful Christmas card recycling scheme this year. By recycling festive cards, customers are helping the Woodland Trust to continue vital work in creating new woodland, as well as preserving the habitat of thousands of UK species”.

Hopefully this has brightened up an otherwise dull January and gives you hope that January isn’t just about all the wastage from Christmas but can be a way to protect future generations from a life without woodlands.