MONTGOMERY COUNTY — The Christmas holiday is over, but the trash is here.
Each December, household waste increases by 23 percent, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, a lot of trash can be recycled.
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>>ORIGINAL COVERAGE: Ways to limit holiday waste in landfills, which products can be recycled
‘Tis the season for shopping, wrapping, and a whole lot of trash.
“A lot of what we do during the holidays can be recycled,” said Kelly Bohrer, the program specialist for education and community outreach for Montgomery County Solid Waste. “A lot of wrapping paper, gift bags, boxes, packaging, a lot of that can be recycled.”
News Center 7’s Xavier Hershovitz says if any item is shiny, metallic, or glittery, it CANNOT be recycled. However, they can be reused.
“I highly encourage people to reuse those gift bags,” said Bohrer.
With online shopping, there will be a lot of cardboard.
“Empty them, flatten them, and put them right into the recycling bin,” she told Hershovitz.
Electronics are a popular gift. So, what do you do with your stuff?
Bohrer says if it still works, donate it or give it to a loved one.
If it doesn’t, it can be taken care of at Montgomery County Solid Waste.
“Especially if they have lithium-ion batteries that can spark fires when they’re crushed by trucks or even crushed through the transfer station or the landfill process,” said Bohrer.
Hershovitz says that many rechargeable electronics and even single-use battery-operated devices have lithium-ion batteries.
Bohrer says that you want to get rid of those properly and avoid any dangerous situations.
“Just to keep our workers safe and keep everybody safe, we want to keep those out of our recycling and trash bins and bring them here to be recycled safely and correctly,” she said.
Kelly recycling all that extra holiday waste is easy and can make a big difference.
“Most of this holiday waste can be recycled or disposed of correctly, to keep everybody safe,” she told Hershovitz.
The county is hosting several different classes on recycling.
Visit this website for more information.
The Montgomery County Solid Waste facility will open at 6 a.m. and is free for all Montgomery County residents.
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