Wasteful Brits throw away £23bn worth of Christmas lights, reveals new study – as company offers free service to get a fresh set

The poll, released today (December 4), also found that the average person spends £429 on twinkling displays, baubles and other festive goods in their lifetime. This equates to a whopping £23bn for the UK’s current population.

Much of this is due to wastage, with nearly one in three survey participants admitting to throwing their Christmas lights in the bin, instead of getting them repaired or replaced if a bulb breaks.

That’s 323 million boxes over one generation – or 1.3m miles of lights.

Warninks Advocaat

One company is putting a stop to the wastage once and for all.

Perhaps currently best known for its creamy egg-yolk liquid, Warninks Advocaat is launching an initiative to get Brits to “swap and recycle” their Christmas lights this year.

It offers anyone the chance to book a free service through their website with a light technician, who will deliver a fresh set of sparkles to your door and take away the old ones to be recycled.

The campaign is being rolled out in Hackney and other postcodes in London, on December 9, followed by Manchester and Salford on December 10.

It finishes off in Edinburgh on December 11.

Instead of leaving a box of broken Christmas magic to collect dust in the loft, why not get more bang for your buck and save the planet at the same time?

In the spirit of the festive season, Warninks Advocaat is also providing each person with ingredients for a Snowball cocktail, as well as a branded yellow Christmas jumper.

“Snowball cocktails have been a festive favourite for generations and this December, the Warninks Christmas Lights Recycling Service is here to keep the sparkle alive in your home,” said Rebecca Cresswell, brand manager at Warninks.

“If your Christmas tree lights have fizzled out, don’t worry – and definitely don’t bin them,

“Hand them over to our cheerful Warninks light technician and let us help light up the season responsibly.”

All slots are booked on a first-come, first-served basis through their website and are restricted to those aged 18 and over.