Post-holiday recycling dos and don’ts

EDMONTON – Now that all the presents are unwrapped and Christmas dinner is behind us, it’s time for a refresher on what can and cannot be recycled.

In the two weeks following Christmas, the city sees more than double the amount of waste and recycling.

“It’s great to see so much material coming into our recycling facility, but wrong items can cause problems,” said Connie Boyce, Director of Community Relations with the City of Edmonton’s Waste Management Services.

“Things like Christmas lights…really jam into the machine, wrap around the gears and conveyor belt so those are things we don’t want to see,” added Alyson Winkelaar, with the City’s Waste Management Services.

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Not only can some materials damage equipment, but Boyce says they can cause the Materials Recovery Facility to temporarily shut down.

The poster below shows what should go where.

Christmas tree recycling begins on Jan. 9, 2014 and will go until the end of the month. If you live in a house, you can put your bare tree out with the trash. If you live in an apartment or townhouse, trees can be dropped off at any recycling depot or eco-station free of charge.