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Public Works Environmental Control
16489 Orange Way Fontana, CA 92335
(909) 350-6760
Holiday Recycling Tips
While the winter holiday season brings good cheer for most people, it also brings a lot more solid waste to the landfill, harm to the environment and additional debt to the average American family. Here are some facts, environmentally-smart tips and web site links for a less wasteful -- perhaps less stressful -- holiday this year:
• Burrtec will collect your Christmas tree at curbside during the two week period after Christmas (December 26, 2007 through January 7, 2008). Simply put your Christmas tree out next to your trash containers on your regular collection day. Trees over 6' need to be cut in half. Please take all ornaments and wooden stands off of the tree. No flocked trees please.
Questions: Please call (909)822-9739
• Americans throw away about 25% more trash between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve. That's an additional 5 million tons of garbage!
•Every year, there are 2.65 billion holiday cards sold in the U.S. That's enough to fill a football stadium field 10 stories high!
 • If you send holiday cards, look for ones made of recycled paper. Avoid cards with glossy, shiny or gold foil coatings since these cannot be recycled. Save the cards that you get in the mail, cut off the front pictures, and reuse as "postcards" next year. This saves on postage too. Or, send ''electronic cards'' or make a phone call instead!
• If you buy gifts, look for durable and re-usable items and resist the latest "fad" at the mall. Think of how many pet rocks, mood rings, and cabbage patch dolls ended up in the landfill!
 • Look for gifts with an environmental message: a nature book, a refillable thermos bottle, a canvas tote bag, a battery recharger or items made from recycled materials. Choose solar powered instead of battery powered products. Or better yet, ones that require no power at all.
• If you go out shopping, bring your own tote bags and avoid coming home with an armload of plastic bags holding just one item.
 • Other environmentally-smart gifts include homemade ones: homebaked cookies, bread or jams, a plant or tree. Ones that don't create any waste at all: concert or movie tickets, dinner at a restaurant, or an IOU to help rake leaves or repair a leaky faucet. Ones that get "used up": candles, soap, or seeds for next year's garden.
 • Wrapping paper is often used once and thrown away. Try using colorful pages torn from magazines to wrap small gifts, and old maps or the Sunday comics for larger boxes. Avoid using paper entirely by using reusable decorative tins, baskets or boxes. If you do buy wrapping paper, look for ones made of recycled paper. Reusable cloth ribbons can be used in place of plastic bows. Finally, unwrap gifts carefully and save wrappings for reuse next year.
• If every American family wrapped just 3 presents in re-used materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields.
• You are probably receiving piles of mail order catalogs at this time of year. Call the company's 800 number and ask that you be removed from their mailing list. Fortunately, magazines and catalogs can be recycled at local recycling centers.
• It takes an average of 6 months for a credit card user to pay off their holiday debt.
Learn more
Here are some websites to learn more about reducing waste and the environmental impacts of the holiday season:
• The Center for a New American Dream
• MUSC: Office of Recycling and Solid Waste Management
• 42 Ways to Trim Your Holiday Waste
• Green Gift Guide
• People and Planet Friendly
• Sierra Club Green Gift Ideas
• Eclipse Solar Gear
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