How to Dispose of Old Holiday Decorations

The New Year has arrived, and with it comes the need to dispose of holiday decorations via mixed waste bins. More often than not, decorations that are temporary or defective will need to be disposed of in a safe and efficient manner to avoid clutter and/or accidents from occurring.

Furthermore, due to the unique features or materials of certain decorations, they will need to be disposed of in a very particular manner. Here, we will discuss how to dispose of holiday decorations without causing injuries or violating any environmental protection laws.

How to Dispose of Obsolete Holiday Lights

A common faux pas is to place light strands in the garbage or recycling receptacles. Instead, what you should do is pay a visit to a local company that sells lights to see if they currently have a recycling program in place that will take your broken or old holiday lights.

In fact, if you are lucky, the retailer may even offer you a substantial discount towards your next holiday light purchase in exchange for your old ones. However, if you are unable to find a retailer that will recycle your old or broken lights, then you should contact a recycling centre in your local area so that your old lights will be disposed of in a safe, efficient, and ethical manner.

As an added tip, we would suggest that you buy LED holiday lights next season, as they are not only more energy-efficient than conventional bulbs, but they will also last much longer. While the initial cost may be a little higher, the long-term savings will be well worth it in the end.

How to Dispose of Christmas Trees

If you have opted to buy a real tree for the holidays, then you can simply transport it to a recycling centre in the city that accepts stumps, logs, and trees. However, if you have decided to buy an artificial tree this season, and if it happens to be made with PVC piping, then things can get a little more complicated.

Local recycling centres will not accept artificial trees that are made with PVC piping, so they will often end up being dumped into landfills Here they will rot for centuries and contribute to land, air, and water pollution in the worst way possible.

As such, we would recommend that you buy real trees going forward, or that you try and maximize the use of your current artificial tree for as many holiday seasons as you can. Yet another option would involve calling a local charity, such as the Salvation Army or Centraide, to check if they will accept your old artificial tree. In some cases, they will, in which they will either pick it up from your home or will accept it if you are willing to deliver it to their office.

Also, please remember that real trees can be recycled and composted. In addition, new trees can be planted without creating any waste byproducts, so try and opt for real trees whenever possible. Synthetic trees will contribute to your carbon footprint as they are not biodegradable, and can also make people or animals very ill if ingested.

How to Dispose of Old or Broken Ornaments

More often than not, an ornament or two may break during their sorting or disposing of. Even worse is that ornaments that are made of plastic or glass cannot be recycled in most cases, which means they will need to be thrown into your trash can instead.

As such, you should take the time to wrap any ornaments that have broken during the packing or unpacking process. In fact, we would suggest that you carefully hand wrap each broken ornament with some durable paper so that they do not tear through your garbage bag and cut the garbage collectors who come to collect your trash.

As for the upcoming season, we would recommend that you store all of your beautiful ornaments in plastic bins that have been properly organized or itemized to accommodate them. Cushioned dividers should also be thrown into the mix in order to prevent any breakage issues from ensuing during the unpacking and packing process.

Wooden decorations also come highly recommended, as they are more durable and are far less likely to break when compared to ornaments that are made with glass. You may be able to recycle them as well after you are done with them.

In summary, we would recommend that you avoid the common mistake of simply throwing out your old, broken, or unwanted decorations in your trash can. Given the fact that some decorations will need to be disposed of in a legal and responsible manner, you should take the time to do things the right way. As a result, you will not only avoid possible fines or sanctions for improper disposal but also help do your part for the environment.

The Gorilla Bins Difference

If you would like more tips on how to dispose of your holiday decorations, then we can help. At Gorilla Bins, we go bananas over junk. We also provide award-winning garbage bin rental and waste disposal services that go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure our customers are always satisfied.

We offer a wide array of junk bin sizes to accommodate the needs of our discerning clientele, and also offer both delivery and pick-up junk services upon request. We can even provide state-of-the-art dump trucks in order to haul and deliver clean-fill material. As well we offer residential, commercial junk removal, excavation, and demolition services.

To learn more about our junk removal and bin rental services, please give us a call at 877-700-2467 for a free, no-obligation quote and consultation, or visit our website.