WITH startling Christmas waste statistics being revealed, a Barry shop is offering tips on how to minimise the environmental impact of the festive season.

Zero waste store, Awesome.Wales, in Holton Road, is preparing for Christmas with a view to assisting customers with advice on Christmas catering and gifts.

Figures released by Enviro Waste, reveal that up to one billion Christmas cards could end up in the bin.

They say 83 square kilometres of wrapping paper will be thrown out or burnt and 125,000 tonnes of plastic packaging will be thrown out.

Six million trees are thrown out and around 4,200 tonnes of aluminium foil is thrown away.

Store manager, Stuart Burnell, who runs the community interest company social enterprise, with his partner Amy Greenfield, said customers had embraced the concept ever since the shop opened on July 6 this year.

He is advising customers to do some research before making their Christmas purchases.

He said their shop alone had various gift ideas such as wooden toys; zero waste starter kits; zero waste wallets recycled from inner tubes; shaving kits; bathing and beauty products; and groceries.

“We are doing vegetable boxes which will have everything you want for Christmas dinner and cake mixes where the ingredients will be just what you need.

“And my advice is to re-use, re-use, re-use – brown paper and recycled twine - like in the good old days. We sell recycled handmade cards from Vision 21 (a social enterprise for people with learning disabilities). Don’t buy anything you don’t need. No-one needs a Christmas card – a message, a phone call would be much nicer and it’s zero waste.

“Think before you buy. Does it need to be bought? Nobody needs plastic toys. Buy an electronic ticket experience or offer babysitting.”

Awesome.Wales is open, from 8am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 5pm on Sunday.

Find them on Facebook.