What Do I Do With _______? The 2023 Holiday Disposal Guide
Hello Marion Resourcers!
Are you excited for the holiday season? We certainly are here at Marion County Environmental Services! While we love the holidays, they unfortunately also come with more waste than normal.
According to the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), Americans produce 25 percent more trash than usual between Thanksgiving and New Year's. During this time of year, it’s more important than ever to know how to dispose of items properly to help protect our environment.
Here's a breakdown of how to properly dispose of common holiday items, and some tips on how to reduce waste during the holidays.
What can I Recycle?
Paper: Whether it's holiday letters, envelopes, invoices, or paper fill, it can be recycled in Marion County. Keep an eye out for paper that is shiny, slick, or glittery (like holiday cards or wrapping paper) as it cannot be recycled.
Cardboard: Boxes, envelopes, package fill, or cards - if it's made out of cardboard you can recycle it. Be careful of cardboard-ish products that say "compostable," they generally can't be recycled or composed in Marion County and need to be thrown away. You may see these from food delivery services or other "sustainable" companies that engage in green washing.
These are some example products that look like you can recycle them, but are actually trash.
What’s Trash?
Plastic: This includes plastic packaging, bags, bubble wrap, envelopes, and plastic wrap. Even if it has the chasing arrows symbol on it, it cannot be recycled.
Wrapping Paper: All wrapping paper that is shiny, slick, glittery, or plastic-feeling is trash. Check out this article on a bunch of wrapping paper alternatives if you're looking to make some sustainable swaps this season.
Ribbon and Bows: Plastic ribbon and bows should be reused or thrown away.
Holiday Cards: Cards that are printed on photo paper, have glitter, or have shiny/slick paper are trash. Try digital cards or regular printings if you're looking for a more eco-friendly way to share family updates and photos this holiday season.
Single-use serving ware: Paper plates, paper cups, to-go coffee cups, paper towels, takeout containers, "compostable" utensils and other similar items need to go in the trash. Since these items have a food-safe plastic coating, they cannot be recycled.
What else?
Styrofoam
If you have clean, block Styrofoam (the kind that snaps when it’s folded) you can drop it off Monday-Friday from 7:00am – 4:30 pm at Fresh Start Market. Drop-off is free, but consider grabbing a coffee, sandwich, or handmade item to support the market! Fresh Start does not accept meat trays, coffee cups, egg cartons, takeout containers, Styrofoam with stickers, or any flexible Styrofoam like packing peanuts.
Food Waste
Residents in the city limits of Salem can put food waste into the yard debris/mixed organics cart. Acceptable food waste for the mixed organic cart includes common holiday fare like fruit and vegetable scraps, meats and proteins (including bones), and non-liquid dairy products.
Small amounts of used oil, fats, and grease can be disposed of in a container with a lid by placing it in the trash, rather than dumping it down kitchen drains and garbage disposals or outdoors near storm drains. For larger quantities of oil, residents who have the small red recycling bins can place up to two gallons of used oil in the bin as long as it is in a clear plastic container with a tight-fitting lid. For residents outside the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB), they can dispose of large quantities of oil by placing it in a clear plastic container with a lid (up to a gallon in size), labeling the contents, and dropping it off at Pacific Sanitation Service, Inc.
Christmas Trees
Christmas trees can go into the yard debris bin as long as it is pruned to fit completely in the bin, where the lid closes and no limbs are hanging out. They can also be disposed of at both Salem Keizer Recycling and Transfer Station and North Marion Recycling and Transfer Station for a $3.00 fee from December 26 - January 31. The reduced fee applies to only five trees at a time, any more and people will be charged the normal $15.00 fee for yard debris disposal. Trees have to be unflocked and free of decorations prior to disposal.
Batteries
Household batteries in clear, resealable bags can be placed in the small red recycling baskets. For residents outside city limits or the UGB, our recycle guide offers almost 30 locations where batteries can be dropped off with no fee.
Electronics
Some electronics can be dropped off for free at the Salem-Keizer Recycling and Transfer Station, or the North Marion Recycling and Transfer Station. They accept computers, televisions, monitors and laptops, televisions (including console TV sets), photocopy machines, microwaves, computers and peripherals (including cables, wires, mainframes, mice, circuit boards, power supplies, keyboards, printers, etc.), stereos, VCR/DVD players, portable music devices, cameras, video cameras, printers, laptops, projectors, telephones, and PDA's & GPS units.
