OHIO — The holidays can mean family time, good food and gift exchanges. But what some may not think about is the amount of waste that can accumulate during this time of year — wrapping paper, cardboard, cards, food containers and the list goes on.
To help reduce waste and celebrate more sustainably, here are some tips.
What Can Be Recycled
Of course, cities and municipalities may have different rules. Make sure to check your city’s website to ensure you are recycling properly. But for general guidelines:
Ohio Valley Waste
- Cardboard — Flattened cardboard boxes, dry food boxes, non-wax coated paper boxes, egg cartons, clean pizza boxes
- Paper — Newspaper, junk mail, official paper, magazines
- Plastics — Water and soda bottles, milk and water jugs, liquid detergent bottles, and plastics labeled No. 1, No. 2 or No. 5
- Metal — Aluminum cans, steel and bi-metal cans, aluminum foil, food and beverage containers, clean aluminum foil
- Glass — Clear, Brown, Amber, Green beverage bottles and food jars
Waste Management
- Cardboard and paperboard — Flattened cardboard boxes, dry food boxes, non-wax coated paper boxes, egg cartons, clean pizza boxes
- Food and beverage containers — Rules for recycling milk cartons, juice boxes and food cartons vary by city, county and state. Check local recycling programs for options to recycle cartons
- Paper — Newspaper and magazines
- Plastics — Recycle plastics by shape: bottles, jars, jugs and tubs. The “chasing arrows” symbol doesn’t necessarily mean it’s recyclable.
- Metal — Tin, aluminum and steel cans
- Glass — Glass recycling rules vary, please check your local program guidelines.
Rumpke
- Glass bottles and jars (all colors)
- Metal cans — Aluminum cans, steel cans and lids, empty aerosol cans with the lids and tips removed
- Plastic bottles (empty, crush, reattach lid) — Bottles and jugs that have a small mouth and wider base, such as milk jugs, soda bottles, laundry detergent bottles, water bottles, shampoo bottles and contact solution bottles
- Plastic tubs — Containers for butter, sour cream, cottage cheese, yogurt, Jello and fruit slices would fall into the tub category. Lids should be reattached prior to recycling
- Paper — Newspaper, magazines, cardboard, mixed office paper and envelopes, paperboard (cereal boxes), pizza boxes free of food debris and grease, telephone books and catalogs
- Paper cups (remove/discard lids, straws and stoppers) — Fast food beverage cups, coffee cups, Dixie cups
- Cartons — Food and beverage cartons, such as milk, juice, soup, wine, broth and other cartons
What Not to Recycle
- Tissue paper
- Holiday light strings, cords and other “tanglers”
- If these go to modern recycling facilities, they usually get wrapped around equipment, causing a facility to shut down until workers get it removed. Some retailers, electronics recyclers and communities offer seasonal recycling programs for light strings. Put broken lights in the trash.
- Plastic bags, plastic film and wrap
- Same with lights, they can also get tangled in recycling equipment. Bagged recyclables can be problematic since workers don’t know what’s inside. You can take many types of clean, dry plastic bags and wrap to store drop-off locations.
- Batteries and electronics
Other Sustainable Ways to Reduce Waste
- Give reusable gifts
- Reconsider cards — Try electronic greeting cards or a small handwritten note
- Buy secondhand — Utilize thrift stores this season. They could be good places to find unique, affordable gifts.
- Donate — Whether you’re donating to a local charity in someone’s honor or donating nonperishable food, you’re still saving items from ending up in landfills.
- Find nonmaterialistic gifts — Think concert tickets and restaurant gift cards
- Try not using wrapping paper — Alternatives can be brown paper, fabric, newspaper and more.
- Use recyclable containers for gifts — Aim for cardboard boxes
- Don’t toss away your fake tree — You can donate it to a shelter or thrift store, or store in the basement for next year
- Don’t toss your real tree away, either — There are local collection programs that turn them into wood chips. Some even use them for wildlife restoration.
- Avoid plastic decorations
- Recycle the items that can be recycled
