A white Christmas is nice, but a green Christmas is even better, at least when it comes to dealing with the season’s trash.
After being closed Christmas and Boxing Day, Ridge Meadows Recycling Depot is back at it, followed by the depot’s closing on Monday, Jan. 1, New Year’s Day.
New Year’s Day though will require a schedule change for those people who usually put out their recyclables on that day. Instead of Monday, people are asked to put out their recyclables on this Saturday, Dec. 30, by 7 a.m., – even if your regular pickup time is later in the day. Trucks may be following different routes that day so their pickup times could be earlier.
While most of the Christmas clutter should have been put away by now, there are some tips to keep in mind to help lighten the load on the environment. Keep in mind – plastic gift wrap or foil printed paper, isn’t recyclable. And neither are ribbons or bows, so don’t put any of those out for recycling.
Only paper gift wrap can go into the yellow recycling bags, along with cardboard packaging and paper gift bags. Next year, if you’re thinking green, consider using newspaper or comics as wrapping paper.
To cap off your cleanup, you can bring down your live Christmas trees to the transfer station beside the recycling depot on 236th Street, just off River Road. Or, you can wait for the scouts to pickup your trees at curbside.
The same goes for that string of Christmas lights that no longer work after one season. Those can be taken to the depot, or even dropped off at bins at the Maple Ridge Leisure Centre or the Pitt Meadows Family Recreation Centre.