Holiday season has waste authorities touting benefits of recycling

After the gifts are opened and the tables cleared of feasts, trash bins brim to the top with torn-up wrapping, boxes, and emptied bottles and food containers.

Merced County authorities are reminding residents to be mindful of the extra waste produced during the holiday season and to take steps to reduce, reuse and recycle as much as possible.

Americans throw away 25 percent more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday period than at any other time of the year, according to the California Department of Resources Recovery and Recycling. This amounts to about 1 million extra tons per week nationwide.

“The amount of garbage sent to the landfill increases dramatically during the holiday season,” Jennifer Halpin of the Merced County Regional Waste Management Authority said in a statement.

“We can change the holiday habit of tearing open presents and throwing away wrapping paper and cardboard. We can purchase gifts like event tickets that have little packaging, and we can wrap them in reusable gift bags. We can first reuse wrapping paper and boxes and then recycle wrapping paper, packaging and cardboard through curbside recycling and neighborhood drop-off programs. Reducing and recycling holiday waste is better than creating more trash.”

Holiday parties and gatherings also cause the number of empty bottles and cans to soar. In years past, about 100 million plastic water bottles ended up in the trash statewide during the holiday season. These water bottles can be recycled and used to make 48,000 sweaters or 220,000 square feet of carpeting, according to CalRecycle.

“Put cans, glass and plastic bottles in your curbside recycling cart, along with other empty containers from throughout your home. You can also take most beverage containers to your local Buy Back Center and get a refund of your CRV deposit,” Halpin said.

Fortunately, most Merced County residents can put their holiday waste – cans, bottles, greeting cards, boxes and wrapping paper – in their curbside recycling cart. All mixed paper – which includes cardboard, advertising mail, catalogs, paper boxes, newspapers, computer paper, old calendars, phone books, and other “clean” household paper – can also be placed in the recycling cart. Area waste-hauling companies can provide a complete list of items and available services.

For more information on recycling and reducing waste during the holidays, visit www.HolidayRecycling.com.

This story was originally published December 19, 2016 at 4:12 PM with the headline "Holiday season has waste authorities touting benefits of recycling."