New poll results from leading recycling company, First Mile, show that those living in the capital have the greenest of attitudes and intentions when it comes to being more eco-friendly at Christmas, with a whopping 83% of Londoners saying they’re concerned about the additional waste that the festive season creates, significantly higher than the 71% national average.

And nearly two-thirds (59%) of those living in the capital say that they’ll be making more of an effort to be more sustainable this Christmas compared to previous years, again higher than the UK average of 51%.

When asked how they’ll tackle festive waste, nearly half of Londoners (49%) say that they will ‘go plastic-free or significantly cut down on plastic consumption.’ This is followed by:

• Stop using traditional wrapping paper (45%)
  Stop buying crackers containing plastic toys (35%)
• Make more of an effort to recycle (35%)
• Buy items that can be reused each year (34%)
• Be more conscious of volume of food purchased (32%)
• Stop sending physical Christmas cards (32%)
• Be more conscious of energy consumption (30%)

First Mile’s recent poll[1] surveyed 2,000 UK adults about a variety of festive consumption and waste issues as the company launches its 2019 Cut The Wrap campaign to encourage greener Christmas wrapping choices. This year, First Mile is taking its campaign a step further, encouraging people to also ‘cut the cr@p’ and make considered Christmas purchasing choices that are kinder to the environment and create less waste.

According to First Mile’s poll, Londoners’ biggest Christmas waste annoyances are the amount of used wrapping paper after gifts have been opened (24%), followed by too much packaging (15%) and too much plastic (15%).

Those living in the capital also lead the way when it comes to continuing their green intentions into 2020, with 43% of Londoners saying that ‘trying to be more eco-friendly’ is a likely New Year’s Resolution, second only to ‘saving money’ at 54%, and nearly double that of the national average (24%).

First Mile founder and CEO, Bruce Bratley, comments: “As London’s leading recycling company, we’re passionate about the capital and it’s great to see that that there are lots of good intentions and positive action being taken by Londoners surrounding festive waste.

“Our research shows that 45% of those living in London say they’ll stop using traditional Christmas wrapping paper and switch to greener methods, the highest of any region in the UK. Furthermore, 47%, again the highest number in the UK, say that they will avoid buying novelty Christmas presents. This is great news and sums up the ethos of our Cut The Wrap (and the cr@p) campaign.

“The UK produces a colossal amount of waste every Christmas and it’s us as consumers whose buying choices are responsible for our nation’s festive footprint. Being more gift aware this year, will ultimately set the precedent of what appears on Christmas shelves next year.”

For recycling especially tricky items this Christmas, including champagne corks, tree lightbulbs, coffee pods and compostable food packaging, First Mile is pleased to introduce its easy and low-cost courier service, RecycleBox (recyclebox.co.uk). With prices from £10, the box can be filled with hard-to-recycle items or items that that are not traditionally recycled through household or commercial waste services and sent back to First Mile for processing.