P.E.I. Waste Watch holiday primer: What goes where after the presents are opened

So you think you've got P.E.I.'s Waste Watch system mastered.

You're composting like a pro, and you know to separate the little pieces of plastic from your cardboard tissue and pasta boxes (the plastic goes in waste, the cardboard goes in the compost).

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Then Christmas comes along but once a year to confuse you. The wrapping paper goes in the compost, but what about the tape? The stiff plastic containers electronics and toys come in — is it waste or recyclable plastic? 

We talked with Island Waste management's Disposal Manager Heather Myers for the lowdown on holiday trash.

"People are getting better at it [sorting], but there is a lot of room for improvement."

According to Myers, there are several common holiday mistakes.

The first is putting wrapping paper in the blue bag. It goes in compost, tape and all.

"If you want to take it off, it's great, but it might be asking a bit much on Christmas day," said Myers. "We accept that it is going to be a contaminant ... hopefully the larger pieces will get screened out."

Christmas cards go in the compost, not a blue bag.

And wreaths shouldn't be thrown in the compost unless the wire form has been removed. Wreaths should go in the waste, unless you want to separate the greenery (compost) from the metal form (blue bag with glass and plastics), or hang on to the form for next year.

"Quite a few come in with the compost, and they can do damage to the equipment at the composting facility in Brookfield, Myers said. 

From A to Z, here's a guide to what goes where after the gifts are gone. 

• Artificial Christmas trees: waste.
• Batteries: accepted for recycling at some businesses and at IWMC in amounts less than 5 kg. Myers advises taping the ends of batteries with masking, duct or electrical tape or putting each one in a separate baggie.
• Bones: compost.
• Bows: waste.
• Branches: compost.
• Brita water filters: did you know they fall under a separate recycling program? Ship them back for free to The Clorox Company of Canada. 
• Broken glass (from ornaments, wine glass mishaps, broken casserole dishes, etc.): waste.
• Candle wax: compost.
• Candles with wicks: waste.
• Candy, including chocolate: compost.
• Catalogues ?(even if they are shiny paper): in the blue bag with paper.
• Cellphones: Get a new one as a gift? Old ones do not go in the waste. Most electronics retailers will accept them free for a recycling program or you can mail them to the Recycle My Cell program.
• Chewing gum: waste.
• Christmas lights: go in a blue bag with plastics, not in the waste. Remove the bulbs and take them to IWMC for the free Light Recycle program.
• Christmas trees: place them curbside before Jan. 4 before 7 a.m. IWMC will pick up trees throughout the week, but are not able to tell consumers specifically which day their tree will be taken. Make sure all ornaments, tinsel and wire are removed. Trees longer than eight feet or heavier than 50 lbs. must be cut in half. Click here for more guidelines. You can also take trees to a Waste Watch drop-off centre for free. 
• Clementine boxes or crates: waste.
• Clothing: donate or place in waste. Same for shoes.
• Corrugated cardboard boxes: collapsed flat and bundled for pickup with your blue bags. 
• Cosmetic and personal care items: since items like aftershave, makeup, contact lens solution and others may contain hazardous waste, they should be dropped of at a IWMC disposal site free of charge. Myers advises people store up a box of light bulbs, paint cans, batteries and take the load when it is full.
• Greeting cards: compost.
• Liquor bottles (including wine, beer and spirits): in a blue bag with plastics and glass, or returned to a deposit refund depot for cash.
• Nut shells: compost.
• Ornaments and tinsel - waste.
• Plastic wrap: waste.
• Ribbon: waste.
• Shells (including oyster, clam, and lobster): compost
• Take-out trays: fibre ones favoured by coffee shops can be recycled in a blue bag with other paper, while the styrofoam type go in the waste.
• Twine: waste.
• Wine corks: real corks go in compost, plastic ones in waste.
• Wrapping paper: paper wrap goes in compost. Foil type goes in waste. Gift bags: if they are paper, rip the twine handles off. The bag goes in compost, twine goes in waste. Click here for more.
• Wreaths: waste, unless you separate greenery (compost) from metal wreath form (blue bag with plastic and glass).
• Ziploc bags: waste, because there's no recycling number one to five on the packaging. "They should all have these symbols, but they don't," said Myers. "It's very frustrating."

For more, check out Waste Watch Guidelines, or call Island Waste Management's toll-free line 1-888-280-8111.