Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Holiday Waste

The holiday season brings items into our homes we don’t normally have around – in fact, the amount of waste generated in St. John’s increases by approximately 25%!  

When preparing for the holidays by purchasing or bringing new items into your home, think of how you will dispose of it in the end – oftentimes there are options that are better choices to reduce your waste and to divert it from going to the landfill.

Real Vs. Artificial Trees

Real trees are the right choice environmentally as artificial trees are not recyclable and eventually end up in a landfill. Real trees are completely compostable when you bring it to one of our drop off sites:

• Quidi Vidi Lake Parking Lot

Large gravel lot off The Boulevard

From Wednesday Dec 28, 2022 – Sunday Jan 8, 2023 (Excluding Dec 31 and Jan 1)

• Residential Drop Off

340 East White Hills Road

Open Tuesdays to Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. except statutory holidays.

Real trees are usually grown closer to home and use less resources to produce than artificial ones.

Green Your Party

Make sure your party has less environmental impact by using reusable plates, cups and cutlery and if purchasing food, snacks and drinks choose ones that are in recyclable packaging. If you’re not sure if something is recyclable our Waste Wizard will know.

Common holiday waste that can be recycled right at the curb in blue bags:

Eggnog containers

Whipping cream containers

Orange juice containers

Cranberry sauce and Fussell’s cream tins

Syrup bottles

Sandwich, cheese/cracker and cookie trays

Cookie and chocolate tins

Liquor bottles (plastic only)

Gift boxes, cardboard boxes

Make Memories – Not Garbage

Give the gift of an experience. Buy your loved one’s tickets to a show, the movies, a museum, an activity centre or a game. You can also gift homemade items – knit a scarf or pair of mittens, make preserves, bake cookies or treats and package them in a reusable container. If you buy a new item, choose an item that is of good quality, will last long and be used.

Wrapping Paper Alternatives

Traditional wrapping paper is not recyclable, do not put it in recycling blue bags. Consider using reusable gift bags and save them to use each year. You can decorate brown packing paper, or even newspapers and flyers, with a candy cane or piece of greenery. Gifts wrapped in children’s art would is a nice option or make the wrap a part of the gift by using scarves, towels, cloth bags or cinch sacks.

There are numerous other ways to reduce the gift wrap for any special occasion.