Public Works
Holiday Recycling Tips
The holiday season means an increase in refuse; the more you shop, the more you throw away. Here are some tips to help keep the holiday season green:
- Start by collecting all those gift catalogs and newspapers filled with advertising inserts. Put them in a paper bag with your other recyclable paper and place the bag with your recycle container. Don’t forget to add the wrapping paper, gift boxes, and non-metallic greeting cards; they’re all recyclable, too.
- Make gift boxes even more useful in the future by wrapping tops and bottoms separately and reuse the boxes year after year; no need to rip away the wrapping paper!
- Avoid wrapping gifts in materials that are not recyclable or reusable, such as foil or metallic papers.
- Make this year's holiday cards into gift tags for next year.
- Recycle your tree and wreath. Don’t forget to remove all lights, wire, tinsel, ornaments, nails, stands and other materials that are not part of the original tree. The trees will be turned into mulch that will end up in gardens throughout the community next spring.
- Use reusable shopping bags.
- Send your holiday greetings in electronic form. E-cards can be more fun than regular greeting cards, since they can be enhanced with sound and animation.
- Let’s not forget to recycle our food and beverage cans.
- For tree trimmings, try edible items like popcorn or cranberries on a string, gingerbread cookies or items made from “found” objects around the home.
- Be a “green” gift wrapper. Creative wrapping paper substitutes include the Sunday comics, or even the sports section for a sports enthusiast, maps, calendars, and used blueprint paper. Design your own wrapping paper using paper shopping bags: decorate them with paints, crayons, markers, or stickers.