Do You Know What You Can Recycle This Holiday Season?

Forget what Irving Berlin wrote about a white Christmas. Connecticut’s recycling leader, the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority, is encouraging everyone to keep the holidays green. 

There are lots of holiday-related items that are recyclable, starting with what’s already appearing in mailboxes. According to Earth911.com, “each year 19 billion catalogs are mailed to American consumers.” In the 72 cities and towns that recycle with CRRA, as well as just about every other community in the state, catalogs can be recycled along with newspapers, junk mail, magazines and computer paper.

In addition to catalogs, here are some other dos and don’ts to make your holidays as green as can be:

• Corrugated cardboard – items ordered by mail or online are usually shipped in corrugated boxes. These boxes should be recycled.
• Greeting cards, envelopes and wrapping paper – but only those that have no foil or plastic coating, and no photo cards or cards that play music or other sound. If you want to do something greener, buy recycled-content paper products. Ribbons and bows can’t be recycled, but can be re-used.
• Gift boxes – boxboard (such as shoe boxes, cereal boxes and cracker boxes) and other types of cardboard should be recycled, but not if they’re coated with foil or plastic
• Big paper shopping bags – recycle them. If your community hasn’t switched to single-stream recycling, these bags are also great for packing newspapers, catalogs and other types of mixed paper.
• Plastic bags – please keep them out of the recycling bins and barrels. Many retailers will take them back.
• Glass – bottles and jars should be recycled. Light bulbs, mirrors, drinking glasses and window panes must be kept out of the recycling bins and barrels.
• Trees, wreaths, garlands – if they’re made out of trees and shrubs, they should be composted. If you don’t have your own outdoor composting bin, many cities and towns will collect them after the holidays. If they’re artificial, save them for next year. North Branford has a Christmas tree collection from Jan. 2 to Jan. 13, but wreaths and garland are not collected. 
• Foam packing peanuts – these do not go in the recycling bin or barrel. The Plastic Loose Fill Council has set up the Peanut Hotline (800-828-2214) that can connect you to more than 1,500 collection points in the United States, including eight in Connecticut.

More information is available online, both from CRRA and from the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection.

According to North Branford's website, here's a list of what can be recycled, how to recycle it and what not to put in recycle bins.

Description:
clear, green, brown bottles and jars

• rinse clean

• discard caps and corks

• no broken glass

• labels and neck rings stay on

• colors mixed together

• mix with cans, foil and plastics in bin

• mirrors

• window plate glass

• white/opal glass

• pyrex

• pottery, ceramics

Description:
food or beverage cans only
(for people or pets), aluminum, tin, steel, or some combination

• ends and labels may stay on

• cans mixed together

• mix with glass, foil and plastics in bin

• paint cans

• coat hangers

Description:
silver only

• mix with cans, glass and plastics in bin

• colored foil

• waxed foil

Description:
only containers stamped on the bottom with symbols

• discard caps-labels may stay on

• flatten, if possible

• mix with other items in bin

• plastic plant containers

Description:
including any inserts, magazines and catalogs

• place in brown paper grocery bags or tie with string

• lay bundle on top of other items in bin

Description:
cross section of corrugated cardboard looks like a cushion

• bundle small pieces with string

• large pieces cannot exceed 2’x3’

• remove any styrofoam or other packing material

• staples do not need to be removed

• place next to bin at curb

• corrugated that is coated with plastic or wax

• egg carton

Description:
office/school paper, junk mail, newspaper inserts and non metallic wrapping paper

Description:
cereal, cracker, cookie boxes, etc.

• remove waxed or foil interiors and cellophane

• place in a brown paper grocery bag along with your newspapers or bundled with corrugated cardboard

Information courtesy of CRRA and North Branford Hazardous Waste and Recycling Committee.