What to do with Holiday Waste

You’ll find after the holidays that your recycle bins and trash bags may feel a bit heavier. We produce about 30% more waste during this season than we do the rest of the year. The joys of the season often comes with food scraps, ribbons, and wads of wrapping paper. Knowing what to do with it all ahead of time can help us keep this massive amount of waste out of our landfills where it will be preserved for centuries as the “Ghost of Christmas Past.” Instead let’s figure out what needs to head to the recycling center, what gets composted, and how to dispose of everything left over.

Wrapping paper is a classic recyclable in December but make sure the paper you put in your recycling bin isn’t metallic or glittery. If you haven’t purchased paper yet, you can cut down on your waste by using reusable fabric or totes or make sure you purchase recyclable wrapping paper. You can also easily recycle the milk jugs, paperboard egg cartons, and paperboard food boxes from your cooking as you prepare feasts for the family. You can also throw your bi-metal cans, the ones used for vegetables and soups, in the recycling as well. Just make sure to give it a quick rinse first to keep out the pests. Lastly, if you are anything like me, you have a huge pile of cardboard from your present shopping in your home. Flatten those boxes and recycle them as well.

Sometimes we end up with items that we don’t normally recycle at this time of year such as old electronics or live Christmas trees. The time to recycle these is at the annual “Bring One for the Chipper: Tree and Electronics Recycling Event.” Here you can drop off your live trees, electronics, and cardboard for recycling all at once and pick up some free seeds for your spring garden, courtesy of Home Depot, Ferry Morse, and Keep Georgia Beautiful. Everything is free though a $10.00 donation is appreciated if recycling computer or tv monitors.

This year at the event will take place in two places. You can visit Home Depot on 875 Shugart Road or Edwards Park on December 31st from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. They will not be wiping data from electronic devices so you will need to do that ahead of time if needed. All of the trees will be chipped by Whitfield County Public Works and turned into mulch that will be used around local parks.

If you compost materials, you’ll also have a lot of fodder this holiday season too. Fruit and vegetable scraps can go in the composting bin as can live wreaths if you break them into smaller pieces. Tissue paper can also be added in as a good “brown” material meaning it is carbon-rich. Consider decorating your tree with a classic popcorn and cranberry garland that can then be easily composted once you take down your tree. If you like to add some sweet smells from potpourri, choose or create your own using natural potpourri with ingredients like oranges, cranberries, and cinnamon. Then, you can easily add it into your compost as well.

There are some items that do need to go in the trash but that we often see sneaking into the recycling. Milk and juice cartons cannot be recycled though they feel like paper. The packaging has a plastic liner that means that we can’t recycle it. Tinsel and garland also belong in the garbage and can even cause problems with the recycling center equipment if it gets tangled up so make sure those items go in your garbage bag.

The holidays are for spending time with loved ones and celebrating the year’s end. This year show your appreciation for your loved ones by taking care of their planet along with their presents.

Amy Hartline is the recycling and education program coordinator for the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority. Have a recycling question? Contact her at (706) 278-5001 or ahartline@dwswa.org.