Holiday Recycling

Did you know that the volume of household waste in the U.S. generally increases by 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day – about 1 million extra tons! (Source EPA) It can be difficult to know what you should recycle, reuse and throw in the garbage during the holidays. Below are some common holiday items and how to best dispose of them. 
 Recycle in your curbside bin  Reuse/Donate  Trash
 Aluminum foil and pans Bubble wrap Broken glass baking dishes and cups
 Beverage cans and bottles Garland and tinsel Disposable cups, dishes and utensils
 Christmas cards (that don't talk or sing) Gift bags Styrofoam
 Catalogs and junk mail Packing peanuts
Gift and shopping boxes Ribbons and bows  
Non-metallic wrapping paper Toys  
Tissue paper    

Properly Dispose of Other Items 

  • Christmas cards that talk or sing - Bring these to the CBRC for recycling as household hazardous materials or as e-waste; they have lithium batteries that should not be disposed of in your regular trash. Carton Holiday Recycling Cropped
  • Cookie and popcorn tins and Christmas light that don't work - If you can't reuse or give these away, bring these items to the CBRC for recycling.
  • Plastic shopping bags - Return these to your local grocery or retail store for recycling.

More Articles on How to Make Your Holidays Green

Christmas Tree Recycling

  • Curbside Christmas tree pick-up will occur the first full week of January for residents on City waste collection services. 
  • Residents on City waste collection services may bring Christmas trees to the Recycling Center at no charge through the month of January. Non-residents and commercial haulers will be charged a $5.00 minimum fee or $27.00 per ton. 
  • All lights, nails, ornaments, tinsel, wire, steel or wooden stands and plastic tree bags must be removed from tree before disposal.