KENT COUNTY, Mich. - ‘Tis the season to deck the halls, wrap presents and spread the joy of the holidays.
But with all that, comes a lot of trash.
According to the Kent County Department of Public Works, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, waste increases by about 25 percent in the U.S. That’s about 1 million tons a week.
Our VERIFY team talked with an expert at the Kent County Recycling and Education Center to clarify what does and doesn't belong in recycling bins.
1. Wrapping paper
“No, wrapping paper is very low quality paper, it has clay and other additives that make it not recyclable,” said Department of Public Works Resource Recovery Specialist Lauren Westerman.
2. Holiday lights
“Not in your regular curbside bin," Westerman said. "We have three Christmas light boxes out at our recycling stations. The Kentwood recycling station, the Grand Rapids recycling location and the Rockford recycling station."
3. Bows
“No, bows should be re-used,” Westerman said.
4. Ribbons.
No, ribbons are also not recyclable.
“Ribbons are very similar to Christmas lights and other 'tanglers,'" Westerman said. "With that long shape, they’ll get stuck in our machines.”
Workers remove them from machines multiple times a day.
“They sort by spinning, and the paper gets hit up by them and filtered out, everything else falls between," Westerman said. "But when you get those long shapes like ribbons, as they fall through and it keeps spinning, it creates this awful tangled mess.”
5. Christmas trees.
“Yes and no," Westerman said. "There are Christmas tree recycling programs, and we have those listed on our website."
Artificial Christmas trees are not recyclable.
6. Decorations
“If they are paper, cardboard, metal, plastic, glass, and only one material, you can probably recycle them," Westerman said. "You have to check the size, nothing smaller than a milk jug cap, and nothing bigger than two-foot by two-foot.”
7. Christmas cards
Yes, they are recyclable. But there are some exceptions.
“If it has really anything added to the paper, makes it not recyclable,” Westerman said. "Sometimes I suggest a tear test. Tear that paper, and if it rips like newspaper or cereal box would, you're good to go. If a little film starts flaking off, then it's not recyclable."
8. Gift and toy packaging
Yes, these go in recycling.
“If there's plastic, separate it from the paperboard or cardboard, and once it's separate then you can recycle them," Westerman said.
9. Bubble wrap.
“Bubble wrap and styrofoam are not recyclable here at the Kent County center, we do have various drop-off sites," Westerman said.
10. Cardboard.
Yes, of course, but before dumping the box in the bin, be sure cardboard is flattened.
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