Recycling the Holiday Magic

As workers get back in the swing of things after the holidays, facility managers are busy taking down decorations and lights and clearing away discarded wrapping paper. Don’t be quick to throw everything in the trash and jeopardize your sustainability practices. KXLY-TV offers a quick break down of what holiday trash is recyclable.

Here’s what can be recycled:

• Most wrapping paper
• Paper boxes
• Cardboard
• Glass bottles and jars.

Here’s what needs to be trashed:

• Foil wrapping paper
• Metallic ribbons and bows
• Styrofoam
• Boxes with plastic coating
• Christmas lights
• Bubble wrap.

Take any real Christmas trees to a commercial composting facility. Just make sure you remove all lights and ornaments.

Make a few phone calls before you throw burned out strands of lights in the trash. Along with glass, plastic, and copper that could be recycled, these light strands often contain small amounts of lead.

Check with your municipal solid-waste office or other local government authority for information about local options for recycling light strands. Call nearby hardware and home-improvement stores to see if they accept holiday lights for recycling. Ask about coupons or other incentives, too, since stores sometimes hold promotions to encourage swapping incandescent lights for LEDs.

If all else fails, you can mail the lights to one of three companies that provide recycling services online, all of which offer discounts on new lights in exchange for your old ones.