BECKLEY, WV (WOAY) – Every holiday season, residents unknowingly wreak havoc on their local recycling facilities by placing the wrong items in their blue carts.
With parties, decorations, gift giving and travel, Americans generate 25 percent more waste than average between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.
“During the holidays we don’t accept wrapping paper, or ribbons, no Styrofoam,” Raleigh County Solid Waste Authority Director of Recycling Lisa Suggs said.
Suggs said every time a person recycles the wrong items, not only is it time consuming, but it puts more work on staff members.
“We have to hand sort everything that comes in the recycling center. So if we have a lot of trash we’re more likely to lose some of our good material.”
She says it’s important to know what items are recyclable not only during the holidays, but all year around.
“One material that we get the most of that is not acceptable is various plastics. We accept plastic one and two containers, like milk jugs, water bottles, but we get plastic lawn chairs, car parts and bumpers and diapers. It might be plastic but its not something that we recycle.”
The recycling center is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday.
