- Recycling Essentials: Flatten and recycle cardboard boxes in the designated, recycle regular tissue and wrapping paper, save ribbons and bows for reuse, and dispose of electronics at designated locations to prevent hazards in landfills.
- The City of Boise's website offers guidance on electronics, Christmas tree, and packaging disposal— https://www.cityofboise.org/departments/public-works/curb-it/
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
As many across the Treasure Valley unwrap gifts on Christmas morning, not everyone is properly disposing of their wrappings and packaging, and Peter McCullough says it's crucial to be sorting waste into the proper bins.
“You can see what ONE household produces, and we have 78,000 households that we serve in Boise. So you can imagine how much waste that is…”
So, let's go through the list: Cardboard boxes should be flattened and placed in your recycling cart. If you run out of space, recyclables can be put in a marked cardboard box beside your cart. Next, gift wrappings:
“Regular tissue paper, regular wrapping paper can be recycled.”
But not all paper—like cards, bags, or wrappings with plastic shiny coatings, cellophane, or glitter.
“The reason for that is, this all gets chopped up and tried to be made for newspaper, and you get remnants of plastic or sparkles, and the people who buy the paper won't buy it from the recyclers.”
And if you top your presents with ribbons and bows, try keeping them for next year.
“Save the landfill some space….”
But the Curb It team also suggests utilizing reusable bags or baskets.
“Just so you can use something you already have, and we don’t have to throw more away.”
And a reminder that electronics should be dropped at designated disposal locations—hazardous material in trash trucks can cause fires and contamination of water in landfills.
If you're unsure of whether something can be recycled, the City of Boise’s website has information on how to properly dispose of electronics, Christmas trees, packaging, and more.
But if you're in a pinch:
“When in doubt, throw it out. We’d rather you throw it out than contaminate the recycling.”
