February Spotlight: Hearts, Flowers, and Proper Recycling

Sustainability Tip: One of the best ways to reduce waste is to rethink the gift itself! Instead of buying fresh-cut flowers that come in plastic film, consider buying potted flowers. These can be enjoyed indoors now and planted in your garden this spring to bloom again next year.

The Issue: For other gifts, items like candy wrappers, plastic flower sleeves, and glitter-covered cards are frequent “wish-cycling” culprits. Because these items are made of mixed materials, they cannot be processed at our sorting facilities.

What to Keep Out of the Curbside Bin:

• Candy Packaging: Most chocolate wrappers and the plastic inserts inside candy boxes belong in the trash.
• Decorated Cards & Gift Bags: If a card has glitter, foil, or a “soft-touch” lamination, it is not recyclable. Only plain paper and cardstock should go in the bin.
• Ribbons & Plastic Film: These are “tanglers” that jam sorting equipment. Please reuse ribbons or place them in the trash along with plastic floral wrap.

What to Put in the Bin:

• Flattened Cardboard: Shipping boxes and plain paperboard candy boxes (remove the plastic tray first!).
• Clean Paper: Plain paper cards and envelopes.

The Core Goal

By being selective about what goes into your bin, you prevent contamination and ensure that high-quality materials are successfully Repurposed into new products.

For more resources on core rules, visit https://www.wm.com/us/en/recycle-right.

Thank you for helping us keep our community’s recycling stream clean and efficient!