The Most Wonderful Time to Recycle

It's always a wonderful time to recycle, especially during the holidays when there are usually more items to consider!

Items such as paper holiday cards, gift bags/boxes and electronics are more abundant. There may be more food scraps following large holiday dinners, as well as single-use items like red cups (not recyclable), paper plates and plastic utensils.

We know you put in hard work wrapping and stuffing your gifts this holiday season! We also know that all that hard work will eventually be ripped apart! Give your wrapping paper, boxes, bags and stuffing paper a cheerful send-off by properly recycling and discarding your waste. pic.twitter.com/Nh4wPl4ljR

— Fairfax County Public Works (@ffxpublicworks) December 16, 2022

The guide below will help you navigate all of the opportunities to recycle this holiday season.

Holiday Items That Should Be Recycled Curbside

• Most wrapping papers
• Cardboard boxes
• Paper boxes

Holiday Items That Should NOT Be Recycled Curbside

• Strands of Christmas lights and broken Christmas tree bulbs/lights (they break machinery; bring lights to electronics recycling at the I-66 Transfer Station in Fairfax or the I-95 Complex in Lorton)
• Tinsel (contains plastic)
• Plastic bags, film, and bubble wrap (Did you know that most grocery stores have a container for film plastic to be recycled? This includes plastic bags, overwrap, dry cleaning bags, bubble wrap, and more!)
• Metallic or foil wrapping paper
• Wrapping paper that is coated or has glitter
• Bows, ribbons and tags
• Stockings, ugly holiday sweaters, and other clothing can be donated
• Glass bottles and jars can be (recycled at the purple can club bin

Ideas to Reduce Waste

• Use gift bags – they can be reused several times!
• Wrap presents in paper bags or newspaper, then place the paper in your recycling cart
• Reuse gift boxes, then dispose of them with your recycling
• Try to avoid single use plastics like plastic ribbons, bows, and tinsel
• Decorate using items that can be reused for other holidays or events
• Decorate using items such as strung popcorn and family heirloom decorations
• If you have food scraps, they can be dropped off at the I-66 Transfer Station or the I-95 Landfill complex during operating hours

How Can I Recycle My Live Tree After the Holidays?

Remove all decorations and place the tree at the curb. Your collector will pick it up during the first two weeks of January.

For a small fee, you can also self-haul it to one of our solid waste facilities, either the I-66 Transfer Station on West Ox Road, or the I-95 Landfill complex on Furnace Road in Lorton until Jan. 19. The trees will be processed with other brush into mulch and the mulch is offered for free to residents.