What you can and can't recycle during Christmas cleanup

With Christmas in the rearview mirror and January just around the corner, many Saskatchewanians are beginning to box up their Christmas trimmings. But many holiday decorations and disposable dishware often end up in landfills.

So, what can you recycle, and what can't you?

Joanne Fedyk, executive director of the Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council, said some items are easy to get out of the house. But others are not recycling-friendly.

Plain or glossy wrapping paper – anything you can tear – can usually go into the recycling bin. 

"[But] if it has foil or you can't tear it, it can't easily be recycled and I would suggest that if it's still in good shape, people consider saving it to re-use on the smaller packages," said Fedyk. 

She said when two materials like paper and foil are combined, they cannot be recycled at this time in Saskatchewan and will end up in a landfill. 

Fedyk said there is not a recycling option for garland decorations at this time either. 

"I think the best we can do is think about ways that we might re-purpose them — cut out the ripped parts [and] get creative for crafts and that sort of thing."

Aluminum and plastic containers

When it comes to aluminum containers, like pie plates and pans used for large portions of food like potatoes and lasagna, Fedyk urges the public to think about if those containers can be re-used. She said that means people don't have to buy more containers for other potluck events or other occasions.

But aluminum containers can be recycled into blue bins.

Meanwhile, plastic containers with a number on the bottom can usually be put in the blue bins as well.

Fedyk said a lot of plastic receptacles, like fruit or salad containers, have a little number in a triangle on the bottom, beginning at one and going up to seven. The numbering is a way for manufacturers to designate what kind of plastic the container is made from.

"And as long as the recycling program accepts plastic, it usually will accept the ones with the number. If they don't have a number, then we don't necessarily know what it's made from and they don't know what to recycle it into. It's more difficult."

There are names for most of the types of plastic except for the number seven, which tends to be the "and everything else" category, according to Fedyk. Number one is called PETE – or Polyethylene terephthalate – which is what most pop bottles are made out of. 

"They each have different chemical properties and different melting points. And so they need to be separated sometimes to get the most highest use out of them for their second life."

It's relatively easy to recycle a real Christmas tree through community pickups or at yard waste depots. But Fedyk said that in general, fake Christmas trees are made out of many different types of materials. They are not designed to be recycled or have a second life, so they are sent to landfills. 

"It's not the optimal by any stretch, but there are right now no solutions for them."

Ornaments and garlands

Fedyk said ornaments are complicated as well, as many are made from many different materials, like plastic with no number identification. 

"If it was purely like, say, cotton stuff, something that was completely cotton, you could put that in a green bin."

But she said if a non-organic ornament is not sharp, there's no harm in letting your cat turn it into a toy. 

Fedyk recommends that people save what they can re-use, like garlands and tinsel.

"Looking at ways that you can set aside things to re-use for another year means that when the other year comes around, you don't bring new stuff into your home that you have to think about disposing of again," said Fedyk. 

"Because really what we want the holidays to be is about celebrating with our families and not having to deal with stuff afterwards. So if we can give a little thought ahead of time, it makes our life easier for future us."

Fedyk also recommends donating excess and unwanted garlands and other decorations that are in good condition, to second-hand stores like the Salvation Army.