Submitted by jessica on

With the dark days and cold weather, it’s like we blinked and suddenly Christmas is just around the corner. We love this time of year! For many of us, it’s the time of year of giving and gathering, hanging outdoor lights, decorating our front doors or lawns, and setting up a Christmas tree in our window, surrounded with gifts wrapped in all kinds of colors and materials.

It’s important to remember that many holiday items and decorations need to stay out of your blue bins. Grab a cup of hot chocolate and read our best practices for properly disposing of antifreeze, toys with batteries, holiday lights, Christmas trees, ribbons, bows, and gift bags, wrapping paper, and padded mailing envelopes. Is your recycling naughty or nice?

Antifreeze
Antifreeze is an important component of keeping our vehicles up and running, especially in the cold weather, however, it can be detrimental to our environment and should be disposed of carefully. Used antifreeze does not go in your garbage or #bluebin, nor should it be dumped down your toilet or sink!

To recycle antifreeze, the British Columbia Used Oil Management Association (BCUOMA) manages the recycling of used oils and antifreezes. They have 339 drop-off locations across British Columbia. Visit https://interchangerecycling.com/ to find a location near you or call the Recycling Hotline at 604-732-9253 or 1-800-667-4321, Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm.

Toys with Batteries
All those noisy toys strewn about the floor not only pose a threat to your feet, but they are also a real threat to our environment and to our recycling plant workers. The batteries contain toxic chemicals. If thrown in the garbage, these toxic chemicals can leach into the soil. Batteries also pose a fire risk to our recycling trucks and plant workers.

Toys with batteries should not go in your #bluebin and do not go in your regular trash!

Toys that work should be donated, giving them a new life for another child. For toys that no longer work, contact the manufacturer to see if they offer a recycling program. If they don’t, then please safely remove the electronic component from the toy and recycle it separately. Visit https://www.call2recycle.ca/ to find a place to dispose of batteries near you.

Holiday Lights 
Hanging lights is one of the best ways to get in the festive spirit this holiday season. But what do you do with them when they break? Lights that plug in are considered electronic waste. Any unwanted or broken lights, holiday or not, do not go in your #bluebin. Instead, find a place that accepts electronic waste. Start by asking your employer. You’d be surprised how many companies have an electronic waste bin. Or please bring your unwanted or broken lights to your local recycling depot.

Holiday Decorations 
Decorating is a delightful way to get into the holiday spirit. However, the high turnover of these items can create a lot of waste. Instead of buying brand new decorations, consider reusing what you already own or shopping at your local thrift store for slightly used and reusable items.
For items you no longer want, please donate them to a local thrift store so someone else can reuse your unwanted decorations. Facebook Marketplace and Offer Up are other places to buy and sell slightly used decorations.

Christmas Tree
Decorating and undecorating a Christmas tree is both an art and pastime. Christmas trees do not go in your #bluebin, nor do tinsel and baubles. When the time comes to take down your tree, please remove holiday decorations and properly store or recycle those items.

There are many programs that will sustainably dispose of your tree. Here are some ideas: 
•    Take your tree to a transfer station for composting. 
•    Recycle your Christmas tree at a community tree-chipping event! Tree chipping is an environmentally friendly way to dispose of your tree. 
•    Find a local not-for-profit organization or club that will pick up your tree for disposal. 
•    If you have municipal green cart collection, you can cut and bundle your tree with string, setting it out next to your green cart for collection. Double-check your city's website to make sure you follow the requirements for tree recycling. Turn your Tanenbaum into nutrient-rich soil mulch. #recyclingitright #recycleitsafely.

Gift Wrapping, Bags, Bows and Ribbon
Wrapping and unwrapping gifts is a wonderful part of the holiday experience. However, some paper, bags, bows, and ribbons do not belong in your #bluebin.

  • Wrapping Paper - If you haven't bought your wrapping paper yet, consider more sustainable alternatives that are reusable, recyclable, or biodegradable. Try some creative holiday wrapping approaches and skip the bows and ribbon.  Add a pinecone or sprig from your tree to give your gift wrap some rustic flair while being eco-friendly!
  • Gift Bags - Shiny gift bags do not go in your #bluebin recycling.  A gift bag can only be recycled if it passes the scrunch test. If you scrunch it and it stays scrunched in a tight ball it is paper-based and can be recycled. Foil, cellophane, plastic-coated gift bags, and glitter-decorated paper cannot and need to go in the garbage. Looking for a fun family activity? Try making gift bags from more sustainable and reusable materials like burlap, cotton, and organza fabrics. Or try using plain brown kraft paper and have your kids color or decorate with leaves and twigs from your garden. 
  • Ribbons and Bows - Please remember, as pretty as bows and ribbons are, they do not go in your #bluebin. Ribbons and bows are one of the easiest items to save and use again. In the recycling world, ribbon is known as "tanglers." Ribbon can tangle up plant equipment, potentially resulting in safety issues for workers and mechanical issues for recycling plant machinery. Keeping tanglers out of recycling can help keep recycling facilities running smoothly, efficiently, and safely.

Creativity goes a long way and can make the gift more unique while staying sustainable!

Padded Envelopes 
Padded envelopes, also known as paper bubble mailers, are not suitable for recycling. The inner bubble wrap layer and outer paper envelope layer cannot be properly separated for recycling, and therefore do not go in your #bluebin.

Please do your part to keep these items out of your recycling. Padded envelopes can significantly impact the sorting process when mixed in your blue bin. They are nearly impossible to process because they often get caught in machinery.

Padded envelopes can be reused for mailing other items or storing fragile items and can come in handy during a home or office move!


This holiday season, make a pledge to yourself and your family to help us #recycleitright. For more information in your area, please call the Recycling Hotline at 604-732-9253 or 1-800-667-4321, Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm.