Remember to Recycle Holiday Waste

The gift-giving is over, boxes are empty, new toys have pushed out the old, and that real Christmas tree is beginning to wear out its welcome.

Before pitching any of it to the curb, think about recycling or composting your holiday waste.

“Of course we know that there is more waste created between Thanksgiving and New Year´s,” said Mark Oldfield, spokesperson for the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle). “And so what kind of reduction can you achieve during that time is kind of important.”

According to the U.S. EPA, about 1 million extra tons of solid waste is created nationally each week between Thanksgiving and New Year´s Day.

And electronic waste, from iPads to new TVs, will inevitably push a lot to the trash.

“Let´s face it, [electronics are] one of the ´in´ presents every year,” said John Remy, director of communications for the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO). “We want to remind people that it doesn´t belong in a landfill, so we let them know where they can recycle it.”

In addition to local communities offering people places to drop off their old or unwanted e-waste, there are a number of computer manufacturers and TV companies that offer voluntary take-back programs for old equipment so it can be properly recycled.

Those electronics and toys aren’t much fun without a battery. According to the EPA, about 40% of all battery sales occur during the holiday season. The agency recommends buying rechargeable batteries and giving a battery charger as a gift. Rechargeable batteries reduce the amount of potentially harmful materials thrown away, the EPA said, and can save money.

And what about that tree?

Approximately 33 million live Christmas tree are sold in North America every year, according to the EPA, with an estimated 15 million ending up in landfills.

At SWACO´s Franklin County Sanitary landfill, holiday trees are considered yard waste and are banned, but Remy said there are numerous compost sites in Franklin County that people can use that are free.

Some other items people might not think about are gift wrap, ribbons, gift catalogs and packaging.

One of the biggest problems SWACO sees during the holiday season is people don´t break down cardboard boxes. The result, Remy said, is cardboard coming out of the recycling bins and instead getting thrown in the trash.

“We put on extra crews and extra equipment at the end of the year, around the holidays, because people recycle more; there´s more stuff to be recycled,” Remy said. “But we do run into the problem where people don´t break down the boxes; it´s an easy thing to forget how to do.”

SWACO is in its second year of a heavy media campaign through print and radio advertisements to remind people to break down their boxes. And this time, Remy came up with a different approach to help people remember to crush the cardboard.

“The way I pitched it this year with our release was, ´It´s a busy, hectic, frustrating time of the year. Take out all your frustrations on the boxes,´ ” Remy said. “There´s something to be said about smashing the living daylights out of a cardboard box or jumping up and down on them.”

Source: Waste & Recycling News
By Shawn Wright