Don’t forget to recycle during the holidays this year

Tis the season for celebrations.

From Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas, we’re all in the holiday spirit — whatever your favorite holiday is.

However, sometimes what comes with holidays is waste. There are Halloween candy wrappers, uneaten Thanksgiving leftovers, Christmas wrapping paper — so much of our holidays end up in the garbage when all is said and done.

(We make compost at the Dickinson Recycling Center.)

It’s important that we keep in mind that much of what we throw away could actually be recycled or composted.

(Make a recycled envelope bookmark — instructions here.)

About 258 million tons of trash was generated by citizens in the United States in 2014, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Of that, 89 million tons were able to be recycled and composted, and 33 million tons were combusted with energy recovery — burned to produce energy. However, that still left 136 million tons of garbage in landfills, and it is expected that waste generation will double by 2025.

Next time, before you throw something away, stop and think if it could be recycled instead!

(Recycle old T-shirts into a useful bag!)