Recycling your Holiday Trees and Lights

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Holiday trees from single-family residents, multi-family residents, and schools may be set out on your regular collection day during a two-week period in January, beginning the first Monday.

• Jan. 2 through 6 and Jan. 9 through 13

Remove ornaments, tinsel, nails, and stands. Flocked trees will be collected, but not composted. If necessary, cut tree into a maximum of 6-foot lengths. Place curbside for pick up on your regular collection day. At the end of the two-week period during the month of January, holiday trees may be cut up and placed inside the organics cart for collection.

• Single-family residents may set out holiday trees curbside.
• Multi-family residents may set out holiday trees in the general collection area or enclosure.
• Schools may set out trees as agreed to by the school and Waste Management of Alameda County, Inc.

Questions? Contact Waste Management of Alameda County, Inc. at (510) 537-5500.
 
Recycle your used and/or broken holiday lights at and help out a charity this holiday season.

Lights for Life is a non-profit that helps families that have a child with cancer through the collection and recycling of old holiday string lights. The lights (working or not) are collected and sent to a recycling company which then donates the proceeds. Lights for Life will also accept wiring such as extension cords and plain copper wire.

Please bring any unwanted lights, even those that work but take up too much energy, to at 2569 Castro Valley Boulevard until February 15, 2012.
 
OTHER HOLIDAY RECYCLING TIPS & REMINDERS:

• Save holiday bows and ribbon and reuse them next year.
• Save foam packaging pellets and use them in the next package you send out. Or, gather clean pellets in a plastic bag and take them to the UPS Store and they’ll reuse them for you.
• Recycle wrapping paper in the blue recycling cart or white recycling bin.
• Compost holiday leftovers (all food scraps and food-soiled paper) in the green organics cart.

For more great tips, visit www.calrecycle.ca.gov/publiced/Holidays/.