If you was lucky enough to get a new iPod, games console, digital camera or mobile phone from Santa this year, remember that you can recycle any old ones that you still have lying around.

It’s estimated that if every household recycled just one item each, the UK could reprocess over 24,000 tonnes of unwanted electrical items into brand new goods.

Electronic goods contain precious materials such as copper, iron and gold. Recycling these precious materials means that we can make good use of scare natural resources preventing more for being mined in the future, this will make a real difference to the planet in which we all live.

You can recycle digital cameras, mobile phones, games consoles and mp3 players online for cash payments. Other unwanted electrical items such as hair straighteners, kettles, toasters or TVs can be taken down to your local recycling centre to be disposed of correctly.

Recent research has found that to get rid of the three million tonnes of waste produced in England and Wales over Christmas could cost councils as much as £78 million.

Up to as much as two thirds of this waste will end up at landfill costing local councils £40 per tonne in tax to the government.

In order to help deal with all this extra Christmas waste people are urged to recycle as much as possible and compost fruit and vegetable waste. It’s also important that people don’t buy more food than they actually need so less is thrown in the bin.

Across England and Wales, local councils are expected to deal with 230,000 tonnes of food, 10,000 tonnes of wrapping paper, 20,000 tonnes of Christmas cards and 25,000 tonnes of plastic packaging.

Many people are already keen on recycling their rubbish and these figures remind us why its so important to do so.

It’s estimated that every person in the UK will have received at least one Christmas gift that will they will not want or will be just thrown in the back of a drawer for years to come. Recycling websites and auction sites like EBay see a massive increase after Christmas with people getting rid of old gifts to get hold of some extra cash.

By recycling or reusing unwanted Christmas presents not only are you doing your bit for the environment and making some extra money but also you will be reducing the need for manufacturers to put work, energy and cost into replicating these goods in the short to medium term.

Other unwanted Christmas presents that can be recycled online for cash payments include CDs, DVDs and Console Games using popular recycling site, Music Magpie. Electronics such as Mobile Phones, iPods, and digital cameras can also be recycled online for big cash payments.

Other Christmas related items that can be disposed of correctly includes wrapping paper which can be recycled at your local council recycling centre and Christmas trees that can be composted.

Local council household waste and recycling sites are expecting their busiest periods of the year this Christmas as people take unwanted electrical goods, garden waste, clothes and other household rubbish to be disposed of correctly.

Every year local recycling sites handle over 100,000 tonnes of materials of which 70% are either reused or recycled.

To avoid the Christmas rush its recommended that anyone planning at Christmas clear out plans ahead. Most household recycling centres are open 7 days a week but are closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day.

Mobile phone recycling websites are also preparing for their busiest time of the year as people who are getting new phones for Christmas dispose of their old ones to earn extra cash for the January sales.

When clearing out the house many of us will find old and unwanted items that have no use, most of these items will be thrown in the bin and end up at landfill. By following this guide not only can you reuse or recycle old household items and do your bit for the environment but also it will help you get some extra money in your pocket.

Batteries

Everyone has old and unwanted batteries knocking about their homes but what can we do with them once they have no power? By February 2010 it will be law for any retailer selling over 32kg of batteries to provide a free battery collection. Many big shops including Tesco already have these in their stores; more details can be found at Battery Back.

Light bulbs

Most people will throw an old light bulb straight in the bin once it’s run out, but there are more environmentally friendly alternatives. The first is to see if your local council will accept old light bulbs through their recycling program, if they don’t then put old bulbs in a plastic bag to prevent mercury from leaking out and throw them in the bin.

VHS Tapes

With many people using DVDs or digital media most of us don’t even have a VHS player making VHS tapes completely useless. Some local recycling schemes may accept old video tapes; the plastic bit may even be put in your own recycle bin. If recycling is not an option why not donate your old cassettes to your local charity shop who will not doubt be able to sell them on. If you want to reuse them why not give them to the kids to decorate and create some cool gift boxes, you could even give the tape from inside to your local gardener to scare away the birds.

Trophies / Gold / Precious Metals

Yes, it can be hard to get rid of your old awards, jewellery, antiques or other precious metals but with the price of gold soaring now is a great time to sell. Visit one of the many online gold refineries to see how much your items are worth, more details can be found on our Money for Gold page.

Yellow Pages / Phone Books

Yes, these big books are recyclable but they can’t be put in your normal paper recycling bin. You can either contact your local council some may pick up your old directories, if not visit the yellow pages recycling scheme.

Building Rubble and Bricks

Items like this cannot be recycled at your local council recycling centre and cannot be collected. The best thing to do with any unwanted building materials is to sell them as they are always in high demand, you could try either EBay or your local car boot sale.

Computer Monitors / TV’s

Many local recycling centres will accept old TVs and computer monitors as well as many other electronic goods. If you can’t recycle them and they are in good working order you could donate them to your local school or community project. For some extra money you could sell unwanted TVs and monitors on auction sites like EBay or advertise in your local paper.

MP3 Players / iPods / Mobile Phones

Find more information on recycling mobile phones or iPod recycling in these sections.

CDs / DVDs / Games

Recycling old CDs, DVDs and Games is becoming very popular online and if you have a lot to sell you could make a lot of money. Music Magpie is the UKs biggest recycling sites for these items. If you want to reuse them yourself CDs make perfect table mats or can be given to gardeners to help scare away the birds.

Printer Cartridges

These will not be collected with your rubbish but are collected at your local recycling centres. Try our inkjet recycling to find out how to get money for your unwanted cartridges.

Mobile Phone Xchange one of the UK’s leading mobile recycling sites has recently announced that they are now offering cash and vouchers for other electronic devices including MP3 players, cameras and games consoles.

Its easy to get started, consumers need to simply visit the Mobile Phone Xchange site and search for the device they want to sell, then follow the normal procedure.

On top of this, Mobile Phone Xchange guarantees to pay the highest cash prices for old mobiles and electronic devices on the market. If a user decides to take Argos or Debenhams vouchers rather than cash they will get an even higher value.

Start Recycling your old electronic devices at Mobile Phone Xchange here

According to recent research it has been found that people produce as much as 5.5% of their annual carbon footprints between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.

There are some things that we can all do in order to cut down on Christmas waste including reusing old wrapping paper, using old Christmas cards as decorations, making or buying 2nd hand gifts, sending e-cards instead of paper ones and recycling old Christmas trees correctly.

Another tip to help cut our own carbon emissions would be by walking or riding a bike on shorter journeys instead of using the car.

Anyone who gets a new mobile phone in their Christmas stocking may use one of the many mobile recycling sites to not only earn some extra cash but to also help cut their carbon footprints. Other electrical devices such as digital cameras and games consoles can also be recycled correctly.

A recent survey carried out in the USA by ABI Research has found that only 5% of people that recycled their old mobile phones would do so without any form of incentive.

The study of 1000 US consumers found that 70% of those polled donated their old mobiles to charity and got a tax deduction, of the people that had never recycled a phone 98% of them said they wouldn’t consider it without some form of compensation.

The results of the study show that many people are prepared to do their bit for the environment but are not prepared to recycle their old handsets without a financial reward.

A recent survey in the UK also found that mobile recycling related searches have risen a massive 189% in the last 12 months, mainly due to the increase of online recycling sites offering a cash reward for old phones.

It looks like in any country; merely appealing to people’s environmental consciences is not enough to stop old mobile phones from ending up on rubbish tips.

Recycle your old mobile phone for cash

Envirofone one of the UK’s leading mobile recycling sites have recently announced that in the last 12 months they have arranged for over 1.8 million old mobile phones to be reused or recycled.

Envirofone – the trading name of Eazyfone Ltd also announced that the company has an ambitious expansion strategy planned for the next 12 months which may include recycling other devices such as Satellite Navigation Systems, digital cameras and mp3 players. This should allow Envirofone to significantly grow as the leading recycling brand for consumers and business partners.

The Macclesfield based company has also been named on the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 list as the 5th fastest growing company in the UK.

Recycle your old mobile phone for cash at Envirofone here

Christmas is the time to eat, drink and be merry but what happens to all the extra waste that is created over the festive season? It’s estimated that with all the presents that are given and received and the extra food and drink people consume an additional 15% of waste is created around Christmas time.

Whilst having a good time this Christmas, spare a thought for the environment by either recycling, reusing or reducing unwanted waste and goods, to help we’ve come up with some ‘green’ ideas:

Christmas Wrapping Paper

Wrapping paper can be hard to put in recycle bins as it is made up of sticky tape, plastic and foil which cannot be recycled. Why not get the kids to create their own wrapping paper out of newspaper or magazines to save a little paper. Alternately you could re-use last years wrapping paper or buy recycled paper to help the environment.

Christmas Cards

At the start of this year over 59 million Christmas cards were recycled, diverting over 1000 tonnes of rubbish from ending up at landfill.

Your old Christmas cards can be dropped off at WH Smith, M&S or TK Maxx stores in January where they will be sent for recycling via the Woodland Trust who will plant thousands more trees. If you can’t get to any of those stores make sure your old cards go in your own paper recycling bin.

Christmas Trees

Don’t dump your Christmas tree in the near year simply take it too your local household waste recycling centre and it will be composted along with other garden waste.

Food Waste

It’s estimated that the average family throws away over £420 of food every year; at landfill rotting food produces greenhouse gases that damage the environment.

Everyone eats more at Christmas time so remember to freeze left over party food or reuse what you can to help lessen waste.

Electrical Items

Many people will get a new mobile phone, iPod, digital camera, games console or other electrical item under the tree this year. Many electrical items can be taken down to your local household recycling centre to be disposed of correctly. If you want to earn some extra money for your old goods whilst helping the environment then you can find out more about recycling mobile phones, selling old iPods, or games consoles here.

Games, CDs and DVDs

Many people will find the latest console game, CD or DVD in their Christmas stocking but don’t throw the old one in the bin. Music Magpie will turn old CDs, DVDs and games into cash and have already paid out millions of pounds to their customers.

Jewellery

Many girlfriends and wives may be lucky and get some gorgeous new jewellery off their loved ones this Christmas. Rather than taking your old bracelet, ring or other item down to the local pawn shop why not check out one of the online money for gold sites to get some extra cash in time for the January sales.