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December is packed with festive gift giving occasions and that means tons more trash and recycling. According to The Recycling Partnership, Americans generate 25 percent more garbage between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day than at any other time of year. Cardboard containers, paperboard boxes, wrapping paper, metal tins and Styrofoam™ packing materials all are part of the holiday recycling conundrum. Make sure you know which items are naughty and which are nice when it comes to making your home green for the holidays.

Holiday Recycling Best Practices

Cardboard
Recycle all cardboard and paperboard. With more and more online shopping every year, the amount of cardboard that arrives at our homes is increasing. Cardboard is highly valuable and can be recycled five to seven times. Make sure to empty and flatten your boxes for pickup and only set out in dry weather or in a closed recycling receptacle. Remember to remove all packing materials but don’t worry about tape or labels as those will come off during the recycling process.

Wrapping Paper
Wrapping paper and boxes that are 100 percent paper can be recycled. Recycle the cards and wrappings with your regular curbside collection or take it to a local paper drop-off bin. Plain paper, butcher paper, corrugated cardboard and gift bags without decorations can also be recycled. If the wrapping paper has foil, or is sparkly or shiny, it cannot be recycled. Place it in the trash, Also, do not include photos, foil, plastic coating, ribbon, tinsel, bows and glitter in recycling. Learn more about recycling paper and boxes.

Styrofoam™ Packing Materials
Styrofoam™ is hard to recycle because it takes up so much space relative to its weight, and few markets exist. Do not place Styrofoam™ in your curbside recycling. Styrofoam™ blocks and Styrofoam™ peanuts should be disposed of in the regular trash. There are no recycling options at this time; collection programs at retail stores no longer exist. Instead, consider a reuse project at home or place them in the regular trash for disposal.

Tin Gift Boxes
Tin gift boxes that usually contain cookies and holiday treats are not recyclable at the curb. Find a reuse project, recycle at a scrap metal yard or place in the trash for disposal.

Christmas Trees
Each year, 10 million Christmas trees end up in the landfill. Your tree does not belong in curbside recycling with your newspapers and bottles, but you can still recycle your tree. Many cities offer programs to turn your tree to mulch or wood chips. Call your city service department or trash hauler for more information or find details for your community.