Tuesday, December 20th, 2022
Recycle all that Christmas stuff
(Gift wrap, boxes, ribbons, bows, etc.)
By Bob Tomaszewski
Photo by Bob Tomaszewski/The Daily Standard
Cardboard is moved to be processed and baled during the holiday season.
Holiday gift-giving means tons of packages, cardboard and paper. However, those materials can largely be recycled, according to industry experts.
Once kids are done ripping apart wrapping paper to get to their gifts, Auglaize County Solid Waste district coordinator Scott Cisco said the paper can be recycled.
"We do recycle wrapping paper, that goes in with the paper," he said. Cisco said the solid waste district gets a lot of calls after Christmas asking about whether different materials can be recycled.
Ron Lochtefeld, president of Ohio Recycling in Chickasaw, agreed, but said styrofoam can't be recycled.
"Bows are fine," Lochtefeld said. "Really we can't use styrofoam. We don't have a good home for that. We are trying to avoid that from the get-go."
While dead bulbs on Christmas lights are often a nightmare for holiday decorators, Ohio Recycling office assistant Amy Tangemen said those dead strands of lights can be turned in at the recycling plant.
Christmas lights are currently worth 10 cents a pound, she said. The lights contain valuable raw materials such as glass and copper.
Photo by Bob Tomaszewski/The Daily Standard
Old holiday lights can be recycled, according to Ohio Recycling in Chickasaw. The recycler pays customers 10 cents per pound of lights.
Fellow Ohio Recycling office assistant Ashyln Bowman noted people may find themselves with dead car batteries in the wintertime, which can be recycled for 14 cents per pound at the plant.
Lochtefeld advised those dropping off wrapping paper at the plant to place the paper inside of cardboard boxes to ensure the materials don't blow away.
"Wind is our enemy out here," Lochtefeld said.
Ohio Recycling's three dumpsters of cardboard are emptied and processed regularly to avoid build-up. However, the plant closes at noon Friday and will remain closed through Monday.
Cisco asked Auglaize County residents to be patient with staff working limited hours during the holiday at drop-off locations in St. Marys and other locations in Auglaize County, as there may be a delay in emptying drop-off bins.
Cisco said breaking down boxes can ensure drop-off locations fit more material. He also asked residents to come back at a different time if bins are full.
"We don't want a mess," Cisco said. "They are talking about winds this weekend. We don't want stuff blowing around."
Photo by Bob Tomaszewski/The Daily Standard
Recycling centers see lots of cardboard during holiday season.
While the demand is still strong for cardboard, the price remains low, according to Cisco.
"Cardboard all year round is a good commodity for us," he said. "We have no problem moving cardboard. It's been pretty steady most of the year."
Cisco said industrial recycling activity has been down, but curbside programs are doing very well. Cisco said prices are down for "just about everything".
"You just work through it until some of the stuff comes up in price," he said.
Cardboard is currently about $35 per ton, according to Cisco. Lochtefeld acknowledged that cardboard is essentially being recycled at a loss.
"When COVID started the cardboard market crashed," he said. Markets had improved until about six months ago, he said, but "the last four or five months (the price) started retreating."
