Recycling advice to keep you on Santa’s “Nice” list

We’re making a list, and checking it twice... on which materials are naughty and nice. Okay, okay that’s not how the song goes, but it’s a good reminder that while your blue cart can help you deal with a lot of the extra packaging you have around the house, not everything can be recycled.

To stay on the “Nice” list, here’s a quick guide to help with the holiday clean up.

Always Nice – put these items in your blue cart	Always Naughty – keep these items out of your blue cart
Wrapping paper (crumpled into balls) Bubble wrap (bundled inside a plastic bag) Boxes Christmas cards and envelopes Gift bags (handles removed) Tissue paper	Foam packaging Ribbons and bows Decorations and ornaments Christmas lights Plastic moulded packaging Bagged recyclables

Top three holiday recycling reminders

1. Recyclables need to be loose in your blue cart, not in bags.
If you use bags to collect all the wrapping paper and boxes, remember to empty the contents of the bags into the blue cart. Recyclables need to be loose so they can be sorted by the machines at the recycling facility.

2. Not sure if an item can be recycled? Check out whatgoeswhere.ca
What Goes Where? is an online search tool that provides donation, recycling and disposal options for your holiday items.

3. Is your blue cart full? Your options for extra recyclables:

• Break down boxes to make the best use of every square inch of space inside your cart.
• Consider hanging on to your extra recyclables for next week’s collection when you have more space in your cart.
• Bring them to a nearby community recycling depot. Keep in mind that our depots fill up quickly during the holiday season, so it’s best to take note of a couple locations in case one is full.