Recycle your holiday waste
Most (but not all) of your Christmas detritus can be recycled, the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services reminds residents.
Most wrapping paper, cardboard boxes, and paper boxes and bags can go in the recycling bin.
Foil wrapping paper, glitter wrapping paper, metallic ribbon, tissue paper, boxes with plastic paper, Styrofoam, bubble wrap, ribbons, and bows are not recyclable and need to go in the trash.
Broken holiday lights are not only not recyclable, but shouldn’t be thrown in the trash either. That’s because they can get tangled in the machinery and their components are bad for the environment.
They can be dropped off at the I-66 Transfer Station or the I-95 Landfill Complex. Some stores – possibly including Home Depot, Lowe’s, ACE Hardware, and Walmart – accept old strings of lights for recycling.
Christmas trees can be left on the curb for pickup during the first two weeks of January. Remove all decorations.
2 responses to “Recycle your holiday waste”
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How dare you call me holiday waste
So many companies public and private have the same policies. Our accepts only the paper items you describe and # 1 and #2 plastic for recycling as there is no way to filter them out,. Any thing else makes the whole load unusable for recycling. I think it is a good idea to reuse items if possible. That’s what our parents and grandparents did. For example Wrap can be used again to cover a smaller gift. Bubble envelopes can be used to send smaller items, all you need is packing tape. Ribbons and bows can be used again or to create new items, like pinning them to that Styrofoam to make a decoration and so on. Thanks to the stores that recycle lights.