Seattle Public Utilities is reminding people that all that wrapping paper is recyclable, even if it has some tape on it. You can also recycle clean paper and plastic cups, as well as aluminum foil and foil trays without food residue.
You’ll probably have extra recycling this time around, so put extra in a cardboard box and set it next to your recycling container (don’t put it in plastic bags). Flatten extra cardboard boxes.
And all food leftovers should go in your yard waste bin to be composted, not put in your garbage can.
Leftover fruitcake isn’t garbage anymore! According to SPU, 30 percent of Seattle’s garbage is made up of food waste. Put your leftover fruitcake, Christmas ham, nutshells, pumpkin pie, paper napkins, pizza boxes and other leftovers in your food and yard waste cart to make compost for local parks and gardens. For tips on storing and carrying scraps from kitchen to cart go to www.seattle.gov/util/foodwaste. Consider donating non-perishable food to your local food bank.
