Make Recycling A Part of Your Holiday Traditions

Tim Pratt of Hennepin Recycling Group has some holiday reminders about recycling items you may need to discard.

• Wrapping paper – not recyclable because the fibers that make up the paper are not long enough to be used to make other paper. Discard in the garbage. Pratt suggests using reusable gift bags as often as possible to wrap gifts.
• Envelopes – Pratt says these can be recycled if foil lining, stickers, or any photographs inside are removed.
• Boxes – Flatten and remove all non-paper materials before putting in a recycle bin or container.
• Batteries – Bring any used batteries to a nearby Hennepin County Recycling Drop-Off facility and they can dispose of them properly, even if the battery is enclosed in another product, like a smartphone.
• Holiday Lights – Pratt reminds you to not throw away or try to recycle your old holiday light strings at home. He asks that you bring them to a recycling center so that workers can remove the copper, which can be recycled. The strings could get caught up in truck or sorting machinery if you try to dispose of them curbside.

Don’t throw away holiday lights you want to discard. Take them to a recycling drop-off center.

• Televisions – If you get a new TV, try to give away your old one if it still works. Pratt said recycling center workers can properly dispose of and remove recyclable components if you take it to the drop-off center.

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