Holiday recycle guide: Does wrapping paper go to the trash or not?

Building the Christmas display that now adorns his family’s yard is a yearly ritual for one teenager, Brody Wesley. And it becomes somewhat larger each year.

• • 
    Metro Detroit waste companies have different stances on recycling wrapping paper.
    
  • 
    Christmas lights and fake trees are not recyclable.
    
  • 
    Cardboard, food boxes, and aluminum foil are all recyclable. Check the full list below.
    

• 
  Metro Detroit waste companies have different stances on recycling wrapping paper.
  
• 
  Christmas lights and fake trees are not recyclable.
  
• 
  Cardboard, food boxes, and aluminum foil are all recyclable. Check the full list below.
  

FOX 2, Southfield, Mich.Dads worldwide will be heading to the Christmas tree with their families on Wednesday, but not before stopping for coffee and a garbage bag. The magic will happen with a simple shake of the bag: it’s time to keep all the trash in one location. Is it recycling, instead?

For the millions of Americans who celebrate Christmas, the presents are wrapped and carefully placed beneath the tree. Everything changes on Wednesday morning; just make sure to wait for your father to prepare that garbage bag.

There will be bows, boxes, bags, and wrapping paper. Plastic containers and tissue paper will be available. However, what goes where? Where does that rubbish go once all the presents have been opened and the children have settled down with their new finds?

This is your guide to recycling and what belongs in the garbage can.

Can you recycle wrapping paper?

If this were a simple response, that would be fantastic, but here’s what you need to know: It can be recycled if it’s just basic wrapping paper.

Bows and ribbons, as well as anything with foil or glitter attached, should be tossed in the garbage because they are not recyclable.

Anything that can be torn can be recycled, according to the Southeastern Oakland County Resource Recovery Authority (SOCRRA).

But according to Priority Waste, which serves a large number of counties in southeast Michigan, it is preferable to simply throw everything in the garbage rather than attempting to recycle it.

You see? Not an easy answer.

Priority Waste suggests you try to save what you can and recycle it for next Christmas or your next celebration. Though that can end the fun of the wrapping paper basketball in dad’s trash bag.

What is recyclable on Christmas?

SOCRRA lists the following items as all being recyclable, provided they are empty and rinsed clean:

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  Aluminum trays and foil
  
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  Rigid plastic containers
  
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  Food boxes (egg nog, macaroni and cheese, stuffing mixes, etc)
  
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  Flattened boxes
  

That means the foil container that you use to make your Christmas meal and sides are all recyclable.

You can also recycle those holiday cards even though we know that their families look really beautiful this year.

Priority Waste does not have a holiday-specific list of recyclable items. However, the top of the bin will have the list of approved items. Also, their list of what is recyclable is similar to SOCRRA’s:

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  Aluminum trays and foil
  
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  Rigid plastic
  
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  Empty and rinsed containers
  
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  Flattened cardboard boxes
  

Are Christmas lights recyclable?

No. Both SOCRRA and Priority Waste state that strings of holiday lights are not recyclable.

You can either drop those off for scrap metal or call a hardware store to see if they recycle them. If they still work, consider donating to a thrift store.

What else is not recyclable?

If you get a new phone or computer or tablet, don’t just drop the old one in your recycling bin.

First, wipe their memory clean of all private information. Then you can find an electronics recycling program near you. but only for residents in the cities they service. You can call Priority Waste to schedule an electronics pickup: (855) WASTE 65.

Other items that you can’t recycle:

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  Styrofoam
  
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  Clothes
  
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  Grocery bags
  
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  Unflattened cardboard boxes
  

Can fake Christmas trees be recycled?

If you’re scoring a sweet deal on the day after Christmas to replace that old fake tree, don’t put the old one in your recycling.

You can donate to a thrift store just call first. Or if it’s no longer working, it goes in the trash.

The Source:FOX 2 consulted SOCRRA’s website and Priority Waste’s recycling program for details in this story.

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