Are we Properly Recycling Christmas Waste – Knowing what’s Recyclable and what Isn’t
Christmas produces a lot of waste and knowing how to sort it is the key to ensuring what’s recyclable can be recycled.
After all the gifts are unwrapped, Christmas dinner has passed, and the lasting excitement of Boxing Day has been excused, what comes next is getting out all that waste. The sea of wrapping paper, ribbons, and packaging can oftentimes be accumulated together, tossed in a garbage bag and put out to the road.
As waste management experts, we can’t say it enough – resist the urge to do so. Here’s what can be recycled and what cannot be recycled from your Christmas waste in Toronto.
Christmas waste which can be recycled
If your wrapping paper does not have plastic or foil on it, it can be composted or recycled. Greeting cards can be recycled, should you choose to throw those out. If your gift has been given in a brown paper bag or in brown packaging paper, it can be recycled. Any tissue paper, even with traces of glitter, can be recycled. Do you have any cereal boxes or frozen pizza boxes or boxes repurposed as gift containers – these can be composted or recycled as long as they’ve not been contaminated by grease. Christmas lights and cords are recyclable. Keep in mind Christmas trees are recycled on a curbside collection schedule so be sure to look up when the time is to put them at the road. Just be sure to remove all ornaments and tinsel.
Christmas waste which cannot be recycled
If your wrapping paper has plastic or foil in its material, it’s waste and cannot be recycled. If the gift bags you receive have a shiny plastic coating in it, they must be tossed as waste. Any ribbons, bows, or tinsel unfortunately is all waste and cannot be recycled. If there’s bubble wrap involved, it’s in fact waste and should be tossed – but only after you’ve popped everything you hope to pop. On your Christmas lights, if there’s a cover over each light, remove the cover and put it in the waste. Thankfully, the rest of your Christmas lights are recyclable. If you can get the bulb out, do so by removing them and taking them to a lightbulb recycling plant.
Waste management at Christmas
Christmas is always a challenging time for environmentalist and the zero waste movement as, to this day, hundreds of thousands of pounds of waste are produced every holiday season. Although we haven’t quite figured out a way to minimize the amount of waste produced at Christmas, we have gotten better at recycling it. If you were unsure of what Christmas waste is recyclable in Toronto and what isn’t, we hope this article provided some insight into that. The more we can recycle, the better. We hope to see in the years to come more materials as recyclable.
In the post-Christmas holiday season or this January, if you’re in need of junk removal services, a dumpster or bin rental, waste management services, or recycling assistance, Core Mini Bin can help. Contact a representative for more information on the best method to resolve your holiday waste management woes. We’re just a phone call away and we provide same-day service for residential, commercial, and industrial clients. Speak with Core Mini Bins today!
