Just in time to help clean up from holiday festivities, Waste Management Recycling Brevard has added two new items to their acceptable list: plastic to-go cups from fast-food restaurants and paper coffee cups.

Recycling in Brevard and Orange counties is no small job, with WM processing about 100,000 tons from that area this year.

So please make the extra effort to ensure the process goes smoothly by recycling wrapping paper, real trees and other miscellaneous holiday items.

Here’s a technique we like: the Scrunch Test. Take out the ribbons and tape, foil, glittery or plastic-coated paper and put those in the regular trash. Now take the rest of the wrapping paper and scrunch it into a ball. If it retains the pleasant ball shape, it’s recyclable and if it springs back it’s coated and joins the other stuff in the bin. Cardboard tubes and plain paper gift tags are usually recyclable, too.

And rather that tossing that other stuff you can re-use it. Consider using reusable fabric bags instead of paper.

You know you can put your real tree at curbside to be picked up on your normal yard-waste day, but be sure to remove the strings of holiday lights before you do. The lights, known as “tanglers” can damage recycling equipment by wrapping around the rotating parts. Garlands and ribbons can also cause similar trouble.

Space Coast Home Depot and Lowe’s stores have been known to recycle tree lights (but call first to make sure) and Brevard Zoo has a drive-through drop-off at the bus parking spots near the zoo entrance. The zoo does this on Jan. 24 and 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

And another item that was probably in your “I never thought of that” category are batteries. Batteries are a “no-no”. Not just the ones that power the myriad toys, but also the small lithium ones in ornaments, holiday cards and gift items. Any of these can get hot and possibly cause a fire.

You can make the holidays happier for everyone if you look for recycling symbols on the products you buy. That’ll take some of the guesswork out when the presents have been unwrapped and the tidying up has begun.

Source: Florida Today