Holiday Tips to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

Check out the Providence Holiday Waste Reduction Guide for ways to reduce, reuse and recycle during the holiday season.

Recycle Wrapping Paper
Wrapping paper, paper gift bags, gift boxes, cards, envelopes, and gift-wrapping tissue paper are all accepted in the Recycle Together program. Please place them loose or in a paper bag in your Big Green Can. No plastic bags and no Mylar wrapping, please!

Recycle "Blister" Packaging
Those rigid, hard-to-open plastic containers or plastic bubbles that contained small consumer products can be recycled in your Big Green Can.

Recycle Boxes And Cardboard
Please flatten your boxes and cardboard and place it loosely inside your Big Green Can for recycling.

Recycle E-waste And Old Recycling Totes
You can always recycle e-waste, mattresses, and old recycling totes on Thursdays 3:00-7:00pm and Saturdays 7:00am-1:00pm at the Department of Public Works at 700 Allens Avenue.
Or call 800-972-4545 for curbside pickup of bulky items including mattresses and e-waste.

Compost Real Christmas Trees & Wreaths
Trees and wreaths will be composted by the RI Resource Recovery Corporation. Residents are urged to take the following steps to ensure that their trees and wreaths will be picked up:
• Place trees at the curb on your regular trash day during the weeks of January 7 or January 14.
• All ornaments, tinsel, lights and tree stands must be removed from trees and wreaths.
• Do not place trees in any type of bag.
• Wreaths are also accepted with trees, but must be unwired. Residents can place unraveled branches in a paper lawn bag to prevent them from being left behind.

Three More Tips For Super Recyclers

1. Find ways to reuse materials:
• Save the fronts of holiday greeting cards to use as note cards, gift cards & post cards.
• Save boxes, bows, ribbons or other packing or decorating materials for next year's gifts.
• You can bring any clear or light colored stretchy plastic bags or film -- including air-paks and bubble wrap -- back to the stores where plastic shopping bags are collected. (Please do NOT place these in your curbside recycling.)
• Once you receive your grey cart for trash and start using your big green can for recycling, you can turn your old blue and green recycling totes into storage for holiday decorations.

2. Recycle Your Old Holiday Lights
Mail in old Christmas lights for recycling, and HolidayLEDS.com will send you a coupon good for 25% off their LED lights! Residents can fill out the recycling form at www.holidayleds.com and send lights in a cardboard box to: HolidayLEDs.com, Attn: Recycling Program, 3849 Guest Rd., Jackson, MI 49203. HolidayLEDS.com emails coupons as soon as they confirm the shipment. The lights are shredded, and the resulting pieces are then further sorted into PVC, glass, and copper for recycling.

3. Make the Trip to Recycle Styrofoam
Residents can set aside clean, dry Styrofoam packaging and make an occasional trip for recycling to KWD, Inc. at 582 Great Rd. in North Smithfield. Couple it with another trip to that neck of the woods, or making an annual trip out of it by planning something else (such as a stop at Wright's Dairy Farm just up the road!). You can get detailed directions to the KWD facility drop-off area under "Styrofoam products" in the Recyclopedia and see a video about KWD's process.

For more information, contact the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services at (401) 421-2489.