The holidays are over, suckers! Good luck in 2019, the last year before we’re back in the Roaring 20s. But unlike Gatsby, we’re not down with the frivolity and decadence of the 1900s anymore: all the cool 21st century kids reduce, reuse, and recycle.
With us entering January, our homes are probably full of all sorts of holiday-related items in need of disposal. But before you toss them in the trash, keep in mind your local options for recycling in Milwaukee:
Christmas Trees / Wreaths
Technically you can throw your real (read: not-artificial) Christmas trees or wreaths out with the trash by leaving them next to your cans. But sadly, they will end up in a landfill, decomposing slowly with your never-going-to-monetarily-appreciate Beanie Babies.
The better option is to turn them into usable mulch or compost, which Milwaukee’s Department of Public Work will do for free. All you need to do is take your tree to one of their Drop Off Centers on the North Side or the South Side.
Holiday Lights
Holiday lights fill homes and streets with festive cheer, but they’re a bear to put up and even trickier to dispose of. Milwaukee does not recycle them, nor is it environmentally friendly to throw them in the trash.
There is a free local option though: HolidayLEDs is an online company that works with Reinders Holiday Lighting in New Berlin to recycle any and all holiday lights. You can mail them in for a 15% off coupon, or drop them off in person.
Christmas Light Source is another online resource that’ll give you a 10% off coupon if you mail them your old lights. All proceeds they get from recycling the materials goes towards purchasing gifts for Toys For Tots.
Wrapping Supplies
Wrapping paper, cardboard boxes, and holiday cards are all paper, so as long as they don’t have glitter or metallic foil on them they can be recycled along with your other paper products. If it has glitter, however, throw it in the trash (which is where glitter belongs).
However, tissue paper is not recyclable…but it is reusable. Same with all sorts of bows, ribbons, and gift bags. Don’t trash’m, stash’m.
Plastic Bags / Bubble Wrap
Many presents that come in boxes are also wrapped in plastic bags or cushioned by plastic bubbles. These often have recyclable symbols on them, but Milwaukee’s program won’t accept them. Instead, nearly all local Pick’n’Save, Target, Kohl’s, Walmart, or other box retailer will take some sort of these products back for recycling. Call them first, but you’ll probably be in luck.
Styrofoam Packaging
Also known as Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) or Plastic #6, Styrofoam is the bane of my existence (#styrophobic). It’s also almost universally thrown in the trash immediately after one use. Unfortunately it cannot be broken down into a different recyclable form, but there are reuse options. You could reuse the Styrofoam yourself for packing items, or some local UPS stores will take particular items for their own reuse. Again, call ahead.
We hope you got all of the local Milwaukee holiday gifts your heart desired this year, but let’s cut our friends at the Milwaukee recycling center a break and make sure we keep Mother Earth clean and little more jolly this year, too.
Article idea submitted by one of our readers and Instagram followers, @madisonsternigart. We also really like her artwork.