MADISON, Wis. — Now that Christmas is over and the holiday season is ending, people are looking to dispose of decorations and wrappings from presents. There are options to reuse or recycle most of it.
“Common mistakes would be just assuming things can go in your curbside recycling bin when they can't,” said Kate Strom Hiorns, recycling and solid waste section chief.
The DNR has a website to help people figure out what to recycle and how. When it comes to old decorations that people may be looking to get rid of this year, the DNR suggests you look for ways for them to be reused before recycled or thrown away.
“Always think about giving those away,” Strom Hiorns said. “Kind giving those to thrift stores, re-using decorations.”
Wrapping papers are mostly recyclable, but tissue paper, anything with ribbons or strings, anything that shimmers or glitters, cannot be recycled and cause problems for recycling facilities.
“If it's kind of glossy or covered in glitter, probably should go in your regular trash,” Strom Hiorns said. “But otherwise most wrapping paper even with scotch tape on it, if it's a little bit of it, that can still go in your recycling bin.”
When it comes to electronics, a lot of it can be recycled, but it needs to be taken or sent to a special facility or back to individual companies. The DNR has a website to help people maneuver recycling electronics or batteries as well.
For Christmas Tree recycling, each individual municipality will have separate rules and services. However, there are donation options to places like the Wisconsin Big Cat Rescue or the NEW Zoo and Adventure Park for toys or habitat for animals.
“It's something that they really enjoy,” said Jeff Kozlowski, founder of the Wisconsin Big Cat Rescue. “I think sometimes they actually wait for it and wonder when they're coming because when we start pulling them down there they get pretty excited.”
People can just drop trees off at the Big Cat Rescue gate.
You can find information online for your city or town for tree recycling. Follow these links for tree recycling in: