SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — It’s the busiest time of year in every sense of the word, including for trash pickup. Just think about all the holiday decorations, gifts and packaging they came in all while preparing for the new year.
In a little over a month, people have celebrated four holidays: Thanksgiving, Hanukah, Christmas and Boxing Day. All those celebrations create lots of memories and — unfortunately — trash.
Sacramento County says Americans create 25% more trash during that timeframe. Jesa David with Recycling and Solid Waste for the city of Sacramento says a lot of it could be recycled.
“There are a lot of wrapping papers that are recyclable, I have some here. If it's glossy or shiny, that’s OK. If you can tear it, it’s recyclable. If you can’t tear it and it's shiny, it’s probably made out of plastic,” said David.
If anything has glitter or fake snow on it, then it's trash.
“Tinsel and ribbon needs to go in the trash as well. It’s generally made out of plastic,” said David.
You can also save those bows for next year. If everyone re-used two feet of ribbon, it would be enough to tie a bow around the Earth. If you won’t re-use it, maybe someone else will.
Patricia Arguello, the assistant manager with Upscale Thrift, says they are recycling clothes.
“I definitely believe that thrifting is saving the planet even if it’s a jar just like this. Whatever your junk is, someone will love it,” said Arguello.
It’s one of their busiest times of year between downsizing or changing out holiday decorations and making room for new clothes, or head to Upscale Thrift first and save a few bucks because not all the sparkles must be new.
“Christmas sweaters, New Year’s outfits, people buy all the miscellaneous Christmas items, trees, ornaments,” said Arguello.
Arguello wants to encourage you to think about what you are doing with your old winter coats. What they don’t sell, they donate to the unhoused.
Remember if you can’t close the bin lid, the city of Sacramento won’t pick it up.
