The Spectator

Barometer | 13 December 2017

Also in Barometer: things that never happened in 2017

issue 16 December 2017

Christmas splurge

How much extra do households spend at Christmas?

£500, according to the Bank of England. Over the course of December our spending on food increases by 10%, alcoholic drinks by 20% and books 35%.
£645, according to OnePoll (2016), including £117 spent on a partner’s gift.
£796, according to YouGov (2015), including £159 on food and drink and £596 on gifts.
 


Festive waste

How much do we throw away over the Christmas period?

— 1 billion Christmas cards.
— 83 sq km of wrapping paper (enough to plaster the whole of Brighton and Hove with festive greetings).
— 125,000 tonnes plastic packaging.
— Six million Christmas trees (as many as there are trees in Epping Forest and all London’s parks put together).
— 4200 tonnes of aluminium foil, enough to manufacture 14 Boeing 747s.
Source: Envirowaste
 





Slipping behind

Some things which were supposed to happen in 2017:
— Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.

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