Holiday Recycling Done Right

The holidays are full of laughter, love, traditions, and a whole lot of stuff.  From lights and trees, holiday treats to gifts, the holiday season seems to overwhelm our homes. In addition to decking our halls, the things that are a part of our celebrations usually produce waste. This isn’t a problem, as long as you dispose of it properly. To help we put together a handy guide to holiday recycling!

First things first, you’ll want to put your recycling out on the correct day. If your normal garbage day is Friday your trash will be picked up one day later for the next two weeks.

Gift Debris:
Here are some tips for cleaning up the post-present-opening zone; once your cat, dog, or child are done playing in the chaos, that is.

• Wrapping Paper: Wrapping and tissue paper without glitter, foil or that is made of cellophane may be recycled. Unless you’re careful enough to use it again next year, foil, cellophane, and other schmancy wrapping paper are destined for the landfill.
• Ribbons and Bows: Try to save these if you can because they can’t be recycled.
• Gift Bags: Unless the bag is only paper, gift bags can not be recycled; but they can be reused!
• Bubble wrap and Packing materials: These go in the garbage, so reuse when possible.
• Boxes: Boxes should be broken down to be recycled. Placing boxes on the curb for new items like a big screen TV, awesome RC Car, or stereo system advertises the cool stuff you have in your house. Do Not do this.  Breaking down your boxes and putting them in your recycling can not only ensures they don’t get wet (meaning they can’t be recycled) but it also prevents wandering eyes from knowing what Santa brought you.
• Styrofoam: All styrofoam is trash unless recycled during a specialized recycling event (see below for upcoming event details)
• Gift packaging: Check the packaging of items before you toss them away. Can some of the packaging be recycled?
• Cards: Recycle all envelopes and paper-only cards (no glitter, foil, or photos).
• Gift Cards: Plastic gift and credit cards can not be recycled.

Christmas Decorations:
Alas, one decoration a year must be sacrificed to the Holiday Gods (cousins to the Laundry Gods). 

• Glass and ceramic items: Broken ornaments, dishes, or tiny villagers can not be recycled. They must be thrown away.
  
  
• Unwanted Decorations: Did you take out your decorations and discover there are some that you no longer want?  Keep them out of the landfill by posting them online to a local BuyNothing group or donate them to a local charity thrift store.
• Broken lights: Don’t throw away lights that don’t work! There are several locations, including one right here in Auburn, that will recycle your broken lights. More from King County on light recycling.

  Uptekk external link recycling drop-off center in Auburn.
  Christmas-Light-Source.com external link – Mail-in recycling program – Sender pays postage.
  HolidayLEDs.com external link – Mail-in recycling program – Sender pays postage.
  McLendon Hardware external link – All 7 Puget Sound area locations.

• Christmas Tree and Holiday Wreath: If you have a live tree and live within the city limits of Auburn, you’re in luck! Waste Management and Republic customers in Auburn can recycle their live Christmas tree and organic wreath for no additional cost. See below for additional details.

Batteries and Electronics:

From gifts to decorations, the holidays seem to require an inordinate amount of batteries. Just remember not to throw away or recycle old batteries! Rechargeable batteries (and cellphones) can be recycled at the Auburn Lowes as a part of the Call2Recycle program.

Single-use batteries can be dropped at McLendons Hardware and at the Waste Mobile events at the Outlet Collections.

Electronics can be recycled at locations such as UpTekk.  Do not place electronics in your recycling bin or trash cart.

Composting:

Recycling and composting are two different things, but they both play an important role in limiting waste and protecting our environment. Be sure to compost whatever food scraps from meals and baking you do this holiday season.  Other things you didn’t realize could be composted or recycled:

• Pizza Boxes
• Pie Tin (Recycle after wiping clean. If used, compost the paper towel.)
• Corks – If real, corks can be composted.
• Poinsettia – Potted plants, cut flowers, and wreaths can be Composted without their pots, florist foam, or wireframes.

Dispose of your cooking oil properly: The City of Auburn has a cooking oil recycling collection location at Les Gove Park. (910 9th ST SE Auburn, 98001 – south of the water spray park) Bring your cooled, used fryer or cooking oil in a container that pours easily. Pour oil into the collection tank marked “General Biodiesel”. PLEASE take you container home with you. Open 24-hours a day, 7 days a week. For more information call 253-931-3038, option #2.

Upcoming Events:

The City of Auburn has provided information on the two upcoming recycling events.

City of Auburn 2021 Christmas Tree Collection Event

Residents who are serviced by Waste Management or Republic Services and live within the city limits of Auburn can recycle their live Christmas tree and organic wreath for no additional cost. If you live outside of the Auburn city limits (in unincorporated King County Auburn), contact your garbage and recycling hauler for Christmas tree recycling information.

COLLECTION DATES:
• Single-family and duplex residents: Collection will be the week of January 4-8, 2021 on your garbage collection day. Place your tree and wreath by your carts on your garbage collection day by 7:00 a.m. (6:00 a.m. for Republic Services customers).
• Mobile home park residents: Collection will be the week of January 4-8, 2021 on your garbage collection day. Check with your property manager for where to place your tree and wreath by 7:00 a.m. (6:00 a.m. for Republic Services customers).
• Multifamily residents: Collection will be the week of January 4-8, 2021. Place your tree and wreath by the garbage collection area on Monday, January 4, 2021 by 7:00 a.m. (6:00 a.m. for Republic Services customers). Collection day will vary depending on the collection schedule.

GUIDELINES:
• Cut tree into 4-foot pieces or smaller and put into your yard waste cart or next to cart.
• Tree trunk should be no wider than 4″ in diameter.
• Remove all garland, tinsel, and ornaments.
• No flocked or imitation trees/wreaths 8or other debris accepted.
• Limit 1 tree and wreath per household.
• Do not block containers for collection.
• Call the City of Auburn at 253-931-3038 within 24 hours if you are missed for collection. Republic Services customers call 206-682-9735.

FREE Styrofoam (Expanded Polystyrene) Recycling Events

Recycle your Styrofoam (Expanded Polystyrene) for FREE. The City of Auburn and Albertsons/Safeway Stores are hosting two Holiday Styrofoam Recycling Collection Events:

Saturday, January 9, 2021
Safeway Store, 101 Auburn Way S
Hours: 9 AM – 1 PM

Sunday, January 17, 2021
Albertsons Store, 4010 A ST SE
Hours: 9 AM – 1 PM

Identify your foam:
✓ Look for the #6 or EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) in the plastic symbol.
✓ Bend the material – it should break and snap with loose beads.

Accepted:
• Clean & dry Styrofoam blocks or shipping coolers ONLY
• Free of all tape and any labels

NOT accepted:
• Packing peanuts, cups, food trays, plastic wrap, other plastics or recyclable material.

All material will be recycled through the Albertsons/Safeway Distribution Center in Auburn. Their new system heats and compresses the blocks into dense material, which manufacturers use to make new plastic products.

EPS can be recycled for free year-round at Styro Recycle LLC, located at 23418 – 68th Ave S (West Valley Hwy), Kent. For additional information and other materials collected, visit www.styrorecycle.com or call 253.838.9555.

Want to know how to recycle other items?
Please visit: www.kingcounty.gov/whatdoidowith. For more information on waste reduction and recycling in Auburn, visit www.auburnwa.gov/solidwaste

The Auburn Examiner has not independently verified the information provided in the above announcements.