CLEVELAND — At 3News, we are always looking for better ways to live.
This year that means cutting out waste over the holidays, when households tend to produce up to 25% more. Gayane Makaryan of Rumpke Recycling said the good news is that most of that holiday waste can be recycled.
“Paper, wrapping paper, including that cardboard tube is all recyclable,” she said.
Makaryan also recommends making the wrapping part of the gift.
“Put your gift in a storage container, put it in like a wicker basket or a cloth bag,” she said, while reminding people of the importance of knowing what not to put in a bin.
Tinsel, lights, bows and plastic bags can all wrap around machinery at the recycling center. Padded envelopes are also bad.
“With the wrap, with the bubble wrap on the inside, you can’t recycle that,” Makaryan said. “Anything that’s laminated, anything that has glitter or like hard plastic on it, you can’t recycle it.”
She said tissue paper cannot be recycled but that packing paper can, since it has the texture of newspapers. Jars and lids used to package products such as olives and pickles are also good.
As for all those cardboard boxes, Makaryan recommends finding a bulk drop-off point, reminding people that they can recycle parts of pizza boxes that do not touch food.
Makaryn appeared on Lunch Break the day after Christmas to further discuss recycling:
