(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Unwrapping presents during the holidays can generate a lot of garbage.
But instead of tossing all those bags, boxes and bows in the trash bin, try recycling instead.
“We will accept in the curbside recycling programs paper gift bags, cardboard boxes,” Lisa Disbrow, a spokesperson for Waste Management, explained.
Wrapping paper can be a bit more tricky. Disbrow said not all types can be recycled.
“Some wrapping paper may have some felt on it or they might be a plastic gift bag,” she said. “So, we don't want the plastic gift bags. We want the paper gift bags, and the way to test the wrapping paper is basically if it tears, we can take it.”
Other items on the recycling naughty list include bubble wrap, polystyrene and other packaging materials.
Disbrow tells WBBM Newsradio that residents should avoid recycling Christmas lights and garland.
“They get wrapped around our equipment,” she said.
Christmas trees — real or fake — don’t belong in recycling and should be put out with yard waste collection.
If you’re unsure about what to do with certain materials, check out Waste Management’s ‘Recycling 101’ guide online.
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