Holiday Recycling Guide: Lights, Appliances, and More
The holidays have come to a close, which is bittersweet. You’re grateful for the time spent with the people you love, but just as grateful that the stress of planning, buying, wrapping, and decorating is over. Now is the time to consider what to do with all your holiday decorations. Are you really interested in storing them again until next year? If there are some decorations you could bear to part with, then keep reading our holiday recycling guide to find out how you can responsibly dispose of lights, appliances, and more.
What to Do With Leftover Wrapping Paper
Despite the “paper” portion of the name, wrapping paper cannot be recycled in the usual way, in the curbside recycling bins. The way wrapping paper is made requires it to be disposed of in another way. If you want to recycle your wrapping paper, you can take it to your local recycling center. There should be a place specifically marked for wrapping paper, but if not, you can simply ask one of the representatives what to do with it.
You can also keep the wrapping paper until next year, so you don’t have to go out and buy more! This is definitely something to think about if you have the storage space.
What to Do With Your Christmas Lights
Electronics cannot be recycled in curbside bins. You can recycle the cords for Christmas lights as scrap metal at your local recycling center. (The same is true for the extension cords.) Of course, you can also dispose of your string lights as with other electronics. In some states, it’s illegal to throw electronic devices in the trash, so be aware of the laws in your area!
What to Do With Your Christmas Tree
If you purchased a real Christmas tree, then you can dispose of the tree with your county. Some counties even offer curbside pickup for your old Christmas tree. Once it’s in your county’s hands, they will turn the tree into mulch to be used in other landscaping projects in your area.
If you purchased a plastic Christmas tree, then it’s best to store this tree to use next year. If you purchased a new tree this year or have decided to minimize your storage, then you can donate your plastic Christmas tree to your local Habitat for Humanity site.
What to Do With Plastic and Electronic Decorations
If you have lawn decorations that have animatronic features that you want to get rid of, you have a few options. You can always donate the decoration to Habitat for Humanity, your local church, or another organization that speaks to you. However, if the organizations in your area can’t take on another donation or if your decoration is broken, then it’s best to recycle what you can.
If the decoration is mostly plastic, we recommend removing the battery from the plastic. You can take both items to your local recycling center and recycle them separately.
About Crawford Services, Inc.
At Crawford Services, we care about sustainability and efficiency. Because these are some of our core values, it’s important to us that the people in our area are disposing of household items responsibly. That’s why we made this holiday recycling guide. If you find, after all the downsizing in your home, that you have a need for HVAC or plumbing services, then check out our special offers and give us a call today.
