Post-holiday recycling tips!

sAUGUS-Christmas came with boxes, it came with bags, it came with packages, ribbons and tags, which is why Recycling Coordinator Lorna Cerbone is asking residents to take a little more care with their trash this holiday season.According statistics, Cerbone said Americans throw away 25 percent more trash during the run from Thanksgiving to the New Year. It’s a number she would like to see cut significantly and she has suggestions on how to do it.When it comes to cardboard, Cerbone is asking all residents to recycle boxes by flattening, folding or cutting them into pieces not larger than two-feet by two-feet. The cardboard can then be bundled in paper bags and put in the recycling bin or stood up in between bins.She said gift boxes and non-foil wrapping can be tossed in with regular recycling as can tape or twine, but not ribbon. Holiday cards, catalogs, calendars (including spiral binds or staples) and envelopes can also be added to the paper recycling pile.According to the National Christmas Tree Association, over 33 million real Christmas trees are sold in North American every year and Christmas tree recycling helps return a renewable resource back to the environment.With that in mind, Cerbone would like to remind residents that there will be a special collection in early January not only for trees, but for wreaths as well. Residents should not put the tree or wreaths in plastic bags and should remove all tinsel.There are also ideas than can be filed away for next year’s holidays to cut down the amount of trash used.Instead of using throw-away ribbons and other disposable decorations, adorn your home with holly, cedar, berries, fruits and nuts, all of which can be composted after use.Also the time tested tradition of stringing popcorn and cranberries is not only environmentally friendly, it gives the kids something to do.Reuse gift bags or try breaking the holiday gift wrapping trend altogether. Decorate large hard-to-wrap gifts with just a bow or hide the object and leave clues for the recipient to follow.Wrap gifts in handy items such as a winter hat, a scarf or (new) dishtowels. Fill a jewelry box with flea market jewels or a make up kit with inexpensive make up and pop a bow on it.Get creative with your wrapping paper by using old maps, the funny pages or foreign newspapers, which can be picked up at nearly any news stand.The idea is if you don’t generate as much waste, you won’t have as much to worry about when it come to getting rid of it.Cerbone said the extra waste generated between the end of the year holidays amounts to 25 million tons of garbage, or about 1 million extra tons per week.”So, to help trim the trash while trimming the tree,” she wrote in a recycling memo. “It saves money for our towns and is good for the environment.”