Americans are expected to spend over $27 billion on Valentine’s Day this year. Mass amounts of greeting cards, candy and flowers add up to make Valentine’s Day one of the most wasteful days of the year – but brushing up on local recycling rules can help make your recyclables the perfect match for your bin.
“The Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority offers guidelines for proper recycling and disposal of Valentine’s gifts when the day is over,” stated Authority Recycling Coordinator Samantha Brown. “With a little creativity and some pre-cycling, we can significantly reduce the amount of waste we produce this Valentine’s Day,” she continued.
Valentine’s Day Cards: Greeting cards and envelopes can be placed in your curbside recycling bin loosely, with no plastic bags, string or twine.
Candy Wrappers: Candy is often wrapped in cellophane wrappers or those that are wax coated and made with nonrecyclable materials. Please place candy wrappers in your regular garbage for disposal.
Candy Boxes: Many cardboard candy boxes also contain a plastic portion and are not accepted for recycling. Candy boxes should be placed in your regular garbage for disposal. Consider reusing candy boxes as organizers for crafts, jewelry or other small items.
Flowers and Vases: Flowers and glass vases are not accepted for recycling. Consider reusing vases before disposal. Flowers can be placed in your backyard composter or set out with green waste. Flowers can also be placed in your regular garbage.
An Evening Out: Give the gift of an evening out – leaving you with great memories and little waste.
“It’s easy to have a greener Valentine’s Day. For example, if you are buying Valentine’s Day cards, consider purchasing those printed on recycled paper. Instead of store-bought chocolate, you can purchase locally made sweets or make your own for even less waste. Even a small change in your gift-giving habits can save energy, natural resources and conserve landfill space in our region,” continued Brown.
If you are not sure how to properly recycle or dispose of an item, the Authority encourages residents to visit its easy-to-use tool at www.AmIRecyclable.com to search hundreds of different items and learn all the answers. When non-acceptable items are placed in recycling containers, they interfere with the recycling of acceptable items.
For more information on solid waste and recycling, please visit www.ohswa.org or contact (315) 733-1224. You may also ask questions and find more information on the Authority’s Facebook Page (Oneida Herkimer Solid Waste Authority).