Viral video reminds us not to throw Christmas lights into the recycling bin
Holiday reminder: Keep your lights out of the blue bin.
Christmas is over, and many people have taken their lights down.
But before you throw out the ones that don't work, you might want to check out this viral TikTok video.
The video, uploaded by the Outagamie County Recycling & Solid Waste TikTok account, serves as a simple reminder: Don't throw your Christmas lights in the recycling bin.
Instead, bring them to a drop-off location.
Lights should never go into a blue bin because "they tend to get tangled up in the machines, make it difficult to pull them out," Schreiber tells WLUK-TV FOX 11 out of Northeast Wisconsin.
"It can cause machine down time, mechanical down time. We just want to make sure we bring awareness to make sure people are putting the right things in their recycling carts."
Schreiber's video is a bonafide viral hit, racking in more than 2.2 million views so far.
And while the video is a fun post-holiday distraction, Schreiber says the message behind it is important, because "recycling education is a must."
Photo courtesy: Pexels/Francesco Ungaro
OTHER WAYS TO GET RID OF YOUR LIGHTS
Some Habitat for Humanity Restore locations will take old lights and repurpose the wiring, CNN says.
You can also check with your local waste disposal centre for other options.
AVOID 'ASPIRATIONAL RECYCLING'
When sorting items for the trash it's important to remember that wanting something to be recyclable doesn't make it so.
This phenomenon is called 'aspirational recycling', defined by The NY Times as throwing things into the blue bin indiscriminately without checking if the items are, in fact, recyclable.
Experts say this does more harm than good because adding non-recyclables to the blue bin can contaminate an entire batch.
That means waste managers are less likely to find buyers for the waste and increases the possibility that the entire contaminated load will be sent to the landfill instead.
SEVEN NON-RECYCLABLE ITEMS THAT OFTEN END UP IN THE BLUE BIN
Recycling capabilities are different for each municipality. If you aren't sure about an item, it's best to contact your local recycling plant.
Shannon Lavalley, a project manager for the Recycling Council of Ontario told The Weather Network in July some of the most common items that are 'aspirationally' recycled in Ontario include:
Black plastic, which cannot be identified and sorted by local facilities in Ontario.
Styrofoam, which can fall apart and contaminate batches. "In Vancouver, glass has its own bin, plastic bags and styrofoams can be returned to depots, but single steam programs such as Edmonton and Toronto’s have higher rates of contamination due to the lack of sorting," Lavalley says.
Coffee cups. Coffee cups can't be recycled for a couple of reasons. For starters, many of the cups that are tossed into the bin are contaminated by coffee and creamer. Second, most coffee cups contain a thin plastic coating which helps keep drinks warm. Many facilities can't separate the plastic from the cardboard, making them difficult to recycle.
Plastic bags.
Stand-up pouches, chip bags, or anything with food waste in it.
Batteries and appliances, which usually have designated drop-off depots.
Textiles and old toys.
"People just don’t always know where to put things, fortunately, many municipal websites have detailed breakdowns of acceptable items and where to put other commonly disposed of materials," Lavalley says.
Always check with your municipality for the best recycling practices in your community.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly attributed the interview to CNN, and not WLUK-TV FOX. We also deleted a line stating cardboard, drink bottles, and plastic film should not be recycled at the Outagamie County Recycling & Solid Waste after a representative from the organization clarified that was incorrect.
