Holiday Items All Kent County Residents Should Be Recycling

The holiday season has once again arrived in Michigan.

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In about a week many of us will gather together with our friends and family for Thanksgiving and after that the holiday decorations will be going up.

The Kent County Department of Public Works has shared its annual Holiday Recycling Guide that offers great advice and answers a lot of questions you might have about what things can be recycled as well as how to safely dispose of things.

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Here are the items you can and can't recycle during the holiday season in Kent County

Recyclable Items (Accepted in Curbside Bin or Single-Stream Drop-Offs)
Please make sure all items are empty, clean, free of food, liquids, and residue."

Containers

• Glass bottles and jars
• Metal cans, bottles, and aluminum foil
• Hard or rigid plastics
• Cartons

Paper/Cardboard

• Cardboard
• Paper cups
• Paper
• Plain kraft paper

Items NOT Recyclable Curbside (Requires Special Disposal)

Batteries

• Lithium-ion
• Rechargeable
• Button batteries should be brought to one of the DPW's SafeChem drop-off locations. They pose a fire risk during transportation and at the recycling facility.

Holiday String Lights

They are only recyclable at special collection drop-offs

• North Kent Recycling & Waste Center
• South Kent Recycling & Waste Center
• SafeChem drop-off location in Grand Rapids.

Trees, Wreaths, and Garland

• Live trees are compostable through area compost and yard waste services.
• Artificial trees, wreaths, and garland are not recyclable, but the DPW encourages residents to reuse or donate them.

Wrapping Paper and Gift Bags

Traditional gift wrap and bags are not recyclable due to heavy inks, dyes, and glitter. The DPW recommends reusing them or switching to recyclable plain kraft paper.

Toys and Holiday Decor

Items like decorations, toys, and holiday sweaters are often made of too many different materials or fabrics to be recycled. If possible donate, re-gift, or repurpose these items.

Frying Oil

Never dump cooking oil down the drain or toss it in the trash. Frying oil can be brought to a DPW SafeChem drop-off location to be made into biofuel.

Plastic Foam and Film Packaging

Foam plastic (like Styrofoam) and flexible plastic (like bubble wrap or shopping envelopes) can only be recycled at special drop-off locations, which can be found on the DPW's website.

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