Archive Council News

11.04.06

Get Cracking on Reducing, Reusing and Recycling in Wrexham this Easter

Wrexham County Borough Council is supporting Waste Awareness Wales’ (WAW) latest campaign to urge the people of Wrexham to think of egg-citing gifts to give their loved-ones this Easter, in an attempt to cut down on the amount of excess waste generated over the weekend from all those empty Easter egg boxes.

The result of this extra packaging has a detrimental impact on the environment and, with 4 million tonnes of rubbish already being thrown away in Wales each year, WAW is keen to show people how they can make a difference by reducing waste and recycling wherever possible.

A great alternative to giving Easter eggs is to make your own special gifts instead. Traditional hand-painted Easter eggs are simple to make, yet stunning.

Here are some top tips on how to create the perfect hand-painted egg:

• make a hole at the top and bottom of a large, free range egg
• carefully blow out the contents
• allow the eggshell to dry
• gently decorate it with brightly coloured paints or felt-tips
• add some glitter or recycled ribbons – whatever you can ‘lay’ your hands on.
• Remember to compost the empty cardboard egg box.

The big culprit in terms of excess packaging over the Easter weekend is chocolate eggs and if you’re thinking of a gift for your chocaholic friend or member of your family, why not bake your own chocolate cake or purchase more environmentally-friendly option with less packaging such as a big bar of chocolate or foil wrapped chocolate bunny.

Another great alternative, if you want to keep that wasteline trim, is to give a gift which would help nourish children in the developing world. World Vision’s Alternative Gift Catalogue –which includes over 60 life-changing gifts – includes chickens, whose eggs will provide protein and income for families in Honduras, and a sheep that will benefit communities in Ethiopia. The recipient will receive a card and gift certificate detailing the present, while the item is then given to a family or community struggling to escape poverty in some of the 100 countries where World Vision works.

John Bradbury, Wrexham's Chief Environment Services Officer said:

“Easter weekend is a notorious weekend where the whole country produces a staggering amount of rubbish.

“This year we are supporting Waste Awareness Wales in its quest to get people thinking of more creative ways to celebrate the Easter weekend, from creating your own unique Easter card made from scraps of paper you find in your home, to baking your very own Easter chocolate cake.

“If people reallly can’t resist the temptation of munching through those pretty-packed Easter Eggs, please do your bit to preserve the beauty of Wales and make sure you either reuse the cardboard as scrap paper, reuse the foil and plastic shell for arts and crafts or contact your local authority to see if you can recycle the foil and cardboard locally.”

This is the latest activity as part of the WAW ‘recycle for Wales/ ailgylchu dros Gymru’ bilingual media campaign. To learn more about how you can help future generations by reducing, reusing and recycling your waste please call the ‘recycle for Wales/ailgylchu dros Gymru’ recycling hotline on 0845 330 5540 or visit the website at www.wasteawarenesswales.org.uk (link to external website opens in new window)