If you are surrounded by endless wrapping paper, festive bows and Christmas cards this holiday season, be sure to pay attention to appropriate recycling agreements, especially for paper products, which are the most recycled materials in the United States.
American Forest and Paper Association Chairman and CEO Heidi Brock (Heidi Brock) said in a statement to USA Today: “Millions of Americans can also play a role by recycling paper products at home during the holidays. Own role.”
She said: “The act of putting something in the recycling bin, hoping that others can figure out what to do, actually hinders the recycling process.” She urged the community to help consumers understand local guidelines.
Not everything can enter those blue trash cans. Glue, ribbon and glitter powder decoration can block the recycling process. Most non-paper products need to be thrown away or reused.
Each holiday gift package will be disposed of in a different way at the end of the year. Not sure what to do when packaging this season’s celebrations in a sustainable way? Don’t worry-this list is for you.
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Bullock said ordinary wrapping paper can be recycled. Sheets with foil, glitter and plastic or poly coating cannot be used. Also avoid using other non-paper decorations.
According to Lisa Skumatz, president of the National Recycling Alliance, the wrapping paper should be separated from the conventional roadside mixture. It can be recycled using special procedures to collect and drop off in certain cities.
Try to reuse packaging paper that cannot be recycled. If you cause irreparable damage on Christmas morning, throw it away-maybe consider using a sturdy gift bag for future use.
“We really do not encourage people to use wrapping paper because it is difficult to recycle. Instead, we encourage people to use reusable gift bags or other types of materials, or use recyclable materials such as calendars and maps,” Ecocycle’s Randy Moorman said . A non-profit organization in Colorado.
The recycling requirements for gift bags are similar to wrapping paper. Ordinary paper bags can be placed in the recycling bin, but Bullock and the American Forest and Paper Association stated that plastic bags, aluminum foil or fabric bags cannot be placed.
If the paper bag has rope handles, beads or other non-paper decorative elements, please remove them before recycling.
If your baggage does not meet the recycling requirements, you will need to discard or reuse it. The good news is that they are easy to save.
Ribbons and bows are not accepted in the recycling box. These decorations can block production in recycling factories.
In order to solve this problem, Peter Spendelow, a material management expert at the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, once told USA Today: “In order to solve this problem, the factory must shut down all equipment so that they can enter and cut all the garbage. .”
When ribbons and bows are too dead to be reused, discard them. Otherwise, please save it in case you need it-tape can be a perfect replacement adhesive.
According to the American Forest and Paper Association, paper cards and envelopes can be recycled. But those with glitter, plastic or metal decorations should be thrown into the trash can.
Packed peanuts and foam packaging are not recyclable. Unflattened boxes will take up more space in the recycling truck, which will cause the staff to travel more.
Brock said: “This year, many gifts will be delivered to families in corrugated boxes, which are designed to be recyclable. “These recycled paper fibers can be used at least seven times to make new paper products. We ask consumers to remove any non-paper packaging materials, flatten the boxes, keep them dry and clean, and then put them in the recycling bin. “