Tee Cee's Tip for Monday, Dec. 6, 2021

Daily Times-Call, Longmont, Colo.
·3 min read

Dec. 7—Dear Tee Cee,

I am putting up lights for the holidays, and I have some duds in the bunch that don't seem to be working. Are holiday lights recyclable? What should I do with the bulbs? Also, what about melted candles, like from menorahs? And I know we can recycle our trees at the end of the year, but what about wreaths and garlands? And photo greeting cards?

Seca

Dear Seca,

'Tis the season for unusual holiday-related stuff to sort through and figure out, "Is this recyclable?" You bring up some good ones I'm sure a lot of folks might be wondering about:

Holiday string lights and extension cords: These are recyclable, but definitely not in your curbside recycling bin. If cords are included in the single-stream recycling, they will get caught in machinery, which can seriously damage equipment. However, you can recycle cords at the Longmont Waste Diversion Center until Jan. 10. There will be a specially designated bin to recycle your light strand. No need to remove the bulbs; it's OK to keep them attached. Please be sure to bundle each string of lights into a ball and use the loose end to tie it, then drop them in the appropriate container. You can also recycle light strings and electrical cords of all kinds year-round at the Eco-Cycle Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials (CHaRM) in Boulder.

Candles: Most candles on the market are paraffin wax, which is petroleum-based. These candles should be thrown away after use. If you are sure that your candles are made entirely from organic material, such as beeswax or soy (if they are, they will be specifically labeled as such), they are compostable. You can place candles made from organic matter in your curbside compost cart or take them to the Waste Diversion Center and put them in the compost bin there. Please be sure to remove any nonorganic material such as glass or metal at the base.

Wreaths: As you mention, the City of Longmont does provide drop-off services for holiday trees. Wreaths and garlands are tricky because they have a bunch of wire in them, so they can't be included with the trees. However, if you take the time to separate the branches from the wire, the branches can be composted, and the wire can be taken to the Eco-Cycle CHaRM as scrap metal. Please remove all decorations (bows, lights, etc.), and reuse or throw them away.

Photo greeting cards: Photo paper in general is not recyclable; it's been suffused with chemicals, and that renders the paper fiber nonrecyclable. If photos aren't worthy of keeping or sharing (or using for some clever crafting), they'll need to go in your trash cart. If you're sending a photo greeting card this year, consider sending it electronically, or print it on regular, recyclable paper rather than photo paper.

For more information on recycling holiday-related materials or Zero Waste holiday gift-giving and celebrating ideas, check out the City of Longmont/Eco-Cycle Zero Waste Holiday Guide at LongmontColorado.gov/wasteservices or at EcoCycle.org/holidayguide.

Tee Cee

Have Zero Waste questions? Rosie@ecocycle.org has the answers.