Holiday recycling reminders

With Christmas and Hanukkah come mounds of wrapping paper, leftover food and dried out Christmas trees, Seattle Public Utilities wants to remind everyone just what can and can’t be recycled or composted.

Since recycling is free, you can put extra cans, bottles, paper and whatnot into a bin or box and set it next to your recycling cart on your regular collection day. Flatten empty cardboard boxes.

All recycling, garbage and compost needs to be put out by 7 a.m. on collection day.

Tips from SPU:

Common holiday items that go in recycling:

Clean pie tins, plastic deli/veggie trays and lids (wider than 3 inches), empty eggnog cartons, paper, plastic and metal cups, bottles, cans, jars, and tubs; catalogs, greeting cards, envelopes, cardboard, clean aluminum foil, gift wrap, plastic grocery bags (bundle and tie together) and glossy/shiny shopping bags.

All food scraps and yard clippings can go in your food and yard waste cart, including:

Figgy pudding, fruitcake, mistletoe, wreaths, bones, meat, cheese, seafood, fruit and vegetables. Paper bags and napkins can also be composted, as well as greasy cardboard pizza boxes.

There are several local Drop-off Recycling Locations for hard-to-recycle items, including:

• TVs, cell phones and other electronics, as well as Styrofoam, batteries and other items.
• To find a location near you, call (206) 684-3000 or go to www.seattle.gov/util and click on “How do I dispose of this?”

Holiday items that go in the garbage include:

• Ribbons and bows, burned out holiday lights, alkaline batteries and Styrofoam packaging.
• Fats, oil and grease should be placed in a lidded container and placed in the garbage.