TULSA, Okla. — The holidays wrapping up means figuring out how to get rid of all that wrapping paper and Christmas trees.
Luckily, the City of Tulsa has some do's and don'ts for holiday recycling.
Wrapping Paper, Decor & More
Most packaging and wrapping papers are recyclable, according to the City. Those includes cardboard and basic wrapping papers — just as long as they don’t have foil, glitter, or plastic.
For that cardboard, make sure to break down the boxes first.
However, there’s a great deal of items that people cannot place inside the blue recycling bin:
- Tinsel or ornaments
- Ribbons or bows
- Christmas lights, cords, wires
- Foil, plastic, shiny, or glitter wrapping paper
- Styrofoam and bubble wrap
- Plastic bags, flexible film plastics, and tarps
- Plastic strapping
- Packing peanuts
- Tree skirts or stockings
- Blankets or clothing
- Ceramics
- Food-soiled containers
- Electronics, batteries
- Artificial or live Christmas trees
Instead, all those items belong inside the gray trash bin.
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Paper gift bags can be recycled, but that’s only after removing any ribbons, string, rope, or plastic handles.
Aluminum or steel cans can be recycled alongside any paper materials. Other items to toss in the blue bin are plastic bottles or containers with removable caps, as well as any glass bottles.
The group Recycle Broken Arrow notes that plastic bags and other plastic packaging — like bubble wrap and packing pouches — can be returned to stores like Walmart for recycling.
As for ways to sustainably wrap gifts next year, Recycle BA suggests wrapping them in cloth or decorated newspapers.
Christmas Trees
Now that the gifts are opened and the packaging is thrown away, the Christmas tree's underside sits empty.
While some enjoy keeping their trees well past Dec. 25, others are itching to get them out of the living room.
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Fortunately, Tulsa residents have some time to check this off their to-do lists.
Residents can put live trees on the curb, on the usual day their area’s trash is picked up. That happens all throughout December and January.
There are some instructions, though. Live trees must be chopped into four-foot portions. That way, they can fit into the hopper inside the collection trucks.
However, for people who have a plastic, Charlie Brown Christmas tree — those and any artificial trees must be placed inside the gray trash bin.
But there is another option.
Residents can also have their live Christmas trees churned into mulch. All they need to do, is bring their tree to the City's mulch facility at 2100 N. 145th East Ave. and strip it of all decorations.
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