Christmas time checklist
Christmas and the New Year bring hustle and bustle, with plenty to remember. How do I take care of fire safety, what should I do with ham fat, can gift wraps be thrown in the paper recycling bin, and where does the Christmas tree go after the holidays?
Before Christmas Eve
Before the grand feast, it's a good time to clean the extractor fan or cooker hood and its grease filter. You can clean the filter in the dishwasher or by hand. The cleaner the filter, the better it captures grease particles and eliminates odors. Also, remove and clean the exhaust air valve under the filter.
It's advisable to test the functionality of the oven, other appliances, and smoke alarms well before the holidays.
Fire Safety
The best place for a candle is an open space where there is nothing flammable or heat-sensitive above or nearby. Also, make sure that children or pets don't accidentally knock over the candle.
A fire-safe candle holder is made of metal, glass, porcelain, or stone. Make sure the candle fits securely in it.
Tealights can be burned safely next to each other when placed on a non-combustible surface at least five centimeters apart. You can also float them in water in a bowl.
Did you know that you can put aluminum tealight covers in metal recycling?
Ham Fat
Ham fat and other food waste belong in the trash. So, do not pour them down the drain or toilet. Cooking fats and oils can cause blockages in pipes. Dispose of liquid fat in a tightly closed container in mixed waste. Solidified fat can also go in biowaste.
This Christmas, you can recycle fat from ham or turkey, fish, and root vegetable chips through Neste Ham Fat Challenge (Kinkkutemppu). The collected fat is used to produce renewable diesel fuel for cars.
Neste Ham Fat Challenge (in Finnish) ›
Christmas Tree
Once Christmas is over, remove decorations from the tree and take it to your home building's waste collection point. If there’s a waste shelter in your building, leave the tree outside it to avoid hindering the emptying of the waste containers.
Do not break the tree into pieces or put parts into the waste containers. Christmas trees are usually collected from waste collection points in January.
Broken ornaments go in mixed waste.
Gift Wraps and Packaging
During Christmas, more waste is generated than usual, so it's essential to sort it correctly. When waste goes to the right place, the waste shelter stays tidy.
Used wrapping paper is best suited for energy waste. If there is no option for energy waste recycling, put wrapping paper in mixed waste. Wrapping paper cannot be put in paper or cardboard containers. It's a good idea to keep good-quality Christmas wrapping paper and reuse it, for example, for crafts.
A lot of cardboard and paper packaging also accumulates at Christmas. You can save space at home and in waste containers by flattening packages, packing them tightly together, and placing them in the cardboard recycling container.
Remember to sort the packaging of chocolate boxes, and of course, the chocolates without arguments. :)