Merced Mysteries & Minutiae: Do your part to reduce holiday waste

Christmas has come and gone. The presents have been opened, the food has been eaten, and the trash has been taken out.

Or has it?

If you’re still waiting for garbage collectors to pick up your cans, you may consider recycling some of that holiday trash.

CalRecycle reports that Americans throw away 25 percent more trash during the holiday season – from Thanksgiving to New Year’s – than at any other time of the year. Holiday trash can include gift wrapping and packaging; cans and bottles from holiday parties; food scraps; and old electronics that have been replaced by newer, shinier and faster gizmos. But much of that holiday waste can be recycled.

During the holiday season in years past, about 100 million plastic bottles ended up in trash bins in California. Those bottles, if recycled, could be used to make 48,000 sweaters or 220,000 square feet of carpeting.

If you are compelled to do so, there are a few super-simple ways to reduce some of that waste.

Q: What are some ways to reduce holiday waste and dispose of it properly?

A: Most gift wrapping and packaging can be recycled. That also applies to cans, bottles, greeting cards, boxes, advertising mail, catalogs, newspapers, computer paper, old calendars, phone books and more.

If you see ribbon in the trash, consider saving it for next year. If every U.S. family reused just 2 feet of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet. If you’ve ever bought ribbon, you know 2 feet is not a lot.

There’s just a small list of things that can’t be put in your blue curbside bin, such as metallic wrapping paper and, believe it or not, tissue papers, napkins or paper towels. Tissue paper, napkins and paper towels are often wet when put in a recycling bin and fall apart. By the end of the process, those items can’t be recycled, said Jennifer Halpin of the Merced County Regional Waste Management Authority.

What if you fill up your recycle bin and still have stuff left? The county’s landfills will accept most recyclable waste for no charge. There are two in Merced County: One at 7040 N. Highway 59 and another in Los Banos at 1717 S. Billy Wright Road.

Christmas trees also can be recycled, though they must be chopped up enough so the lid of the green waste bin can close properly. Trees with flocking cannot be recycled but will be accepted at the landfills for a fee.

The landfills also accept old electronics at no cost, such as old computers, televisions, cellphones, printers and keyboards. Electronic accessories, such as chargers or cords, can be thrown in the trash.

The landfill will also accept bottles and cans, though you will not be reimbursed for them.

But there are at least 15 recycling centers in the county, so you may as well get your reimbursement there. For a full list of recycling centers in Merced County, go to CalRecycle’s website.

Turning in your bottles and cans is one of those situations where you give to get. Everybody wins.

This story was originally published December 27, 2015 at 2:54 PM with the headline "Merced Mysteries & Minutiae: Do your part to reduce holiday waste."