What holiday items are recyclable in Whatcom County?

ANNA WALTERS - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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As you open presents, remember that a lot of those holiday extras can be recycled.

This time of year, the amount of trash and recycling produced tends to increase in some areas. Last December, Nooksack Valley Disposal & Recycling, which services Lynden, Everson, Nooksack, Sumas and other areas in eastern Whatcom County, collected nearly 200 tons of garbage from residents. That's nearly a 10 to 15 percent increase from the monthly average the rest of the year, said Calvin Den Hartog, Nooksack's general manager. Recycling also goes up about 20 to 25 percent during the holidays, he said.

Den Hartog and Rodd Pemble, recycling manager at SSC, answered questions about recycling holiday materials and gave advice on how to minimize the amount of waste during the holidays.

What type of wrapping paper and material is recyclable?

• Almost all kinds of wrapping paper, except those containing foil.

• Gift bags, after the handles have been torn off and put into the garbage.

• The cardboard backing of toy containers, such as Barbie Doll and iPod packaging, after the clear plastic cover has been set aside. Although the hard plastic covers can't be set out for curbside pick up, they can be dropped off at SSC's facility at 1001 Roeder Ave. from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. People can round up their plastic packaging along with items like plastic plant trays, plant pots and buckets larger than 1 gallon, stuff the items inside a 30-gallon plastic garbage bag and drop them off at SSC for a $5 fee.

• The cardboard tube that wrapping paper is rolled on.

• All holiday cards, regardless of how much extra material (i.e., glitter) is included on them.

• Crumpled-up paper that cushions large packages in the mail is often newsprint, so it can be flattened and recycled with newspapers.

• Inflatable plastic bags, which are beginning to be used in packaging in lieu of foam "peanuts," can be dropped off at SSC. The plastic bags, along with other thin plastic items, like bubble wrap, can be crammed into a 30-gallon plastic bag and dropped off at SSC for $5. It's important to note that rigid plastic items must be put in a separate garbage bag to be recycled. Don't put these in curbside bins.

• Cardboard boxes and gift boxes can be set out curbside.

What type of holiday materials are not recyclable?

• Ribbons and bows, although these can be reused.

• Any foam products cannot be recycled locally. Packing "peanuts" can be reused or dropped of at mailing stores that reuse or sell them. Nooksack Valley Disposal accepts packing peanuts at its facility at 250 Birch Bay-Lynden Road at no charge and then offers them for free to businesses to pick up.

• Most handles of gift bags, which are usually made out of cotton or other textile. If the handles are made from a natural fiber, like jute or thistle, SSC Food Plus! customers can place them in their toters.

• Items that cannot be separated from one another, like metal attached to wrapping paper.

How can I recycle my Christmas tree?

Options available in Whatcom County include:

• The Boy Scouts annual Christmas tree recycling program, which covers most major cities in the county as well as surrounding areas.

This year's coordinator, Phil McAfee, said residents of Bellingham, Ferndale, Blaine and Lynden can put their trees in front of their houses by 8 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 3, and the Boy Scouts will pick them up; no call is necessary. The scouts cover other areas based on residents calling ahead of time.

For more information, call McAfee at 733-1513.

• Through SSC's Food Plus! Program. Customers can set their trees into their Food Plus! toters. If a tree won't fit inside a toter, residents can leave their trees next to it, which adds $4 to the cost (up to six feet in length).

• A special pick-up through SSC. Customers living in the Food Plus! area but don't have the service can call and schedule a pickup when an SSC truck is making its normal rounds. The cost is $4.

• Nooksack customers can drop off their trees at the transfer station for a flat $1 charge.

What can I do with large cardboard boxes I used for presents?

• SSC accepts a pile of cardboard boxes six inches thick and two feet wide by four feet tall with the regular curbside bins pickup. Pemble advises residents to portion out their cardboard or other recyclables that won't fit in the curbside bins over a period of weeks, so eventually it will all be picked up. If people have extra recyclable material, they can put it out as long as it's in a box no bigger than a curbside bin.

What are ways to cut down on holiday waste?

• Using a ribbon to wrap a large gift rather than wrapping paper.

• Using everyday household items, such as baskets, the comics section of a newspaper and old shopping bags can minimize waste while maintaining an element of surprise for the gift receiver.

• Limiting food waste is also important, and Pemble advises buying fresh food when possible, since this limits the amount of packaging recycled or thrown away.

• When shopping for food treats, try to avoid packaging that combines materials, like paper, metal and foil. These types of packages can't be recycled. If peanuts come in glass jars or mixed packaging that includes a jar and paper, for instance, buy just the jar instead.

• Instead of wrapping a big gift for a child, the giver could hide the item somewhere in the house and conduct a scavenger hunt leading to the gift, Pemble said.