According to the experts at The Recycling Partnership, a national nonprofit that applies corporate funding from more than 30 major U.S. brands to improve recycling operations in cities and towns across the country, the amount of garbage we create increases “by 25 percent from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day,” so having a recycling plan in place is extra important during that time. Here are our top tips for recycling during the holiday season.

• If you have curbside pickup, make sure you know what day your recycling will be taken. The holidays may change your usual pickup days so be sure to check with your local recycling program to be sure your bins are out when they need to be.
• Remember to put out a recycling bin when you’re hosting a holiday party this year. If your guests know where recycling should go, they are more likely to recycle.
• Be sure to use gift wrap that is made with recycled materials and can also be recycled. Also, check with your recycling program to be sure they allow wrapping paper to be put in your recycling bin. Most programs will not accept metallic or glittery wrapping paper. Come up with sustainable wrapping alternatives like festive fabric bags.
• Think about gifting fun experiences instead of products for your loved ones. You’ll be helping the environment and giving your sweeties some wonderful memories to keep forever.
• And to make sure you’re avoiding food waste, check out How to Recycle Food Waste. Food waste is a huge part of what gets put in our landfills and it’s easy to recycle or avoid.

Enjoy your holiday season and if you need any help locating a recycling facility or have a question about where you can recycle something, take a look at https://recyclenation.com/find/.