WINDHAM PUBLIC WORKS
Holiday Recycling

ecomaine says wrapping paper, packing material and gift boxes doesn’t have to be thrown away.  The holiday season is about family, friends and the spirit of giving. But left in the wake of all the good cheer are mounds and mounds of strewn wrapping paper, packing material, cardboard, and gift boxes of all shapes and sizes.

One way to deal with the barrage of post-holiday clutter is to recycle at one of the silver bullets here in Windham.  You may also recycle this paper through the Windham Recycles curbside pickup program.

According to ecomaine, Wrapping paper, gift boxes and even Styrofoam peanuts don’t need to go in the trash.  Think of Holiday Recycling of your paper and boxes can as a holiday gift to the environment."ecomaine" offers the following facts, tips and guidelines for dealing with the aftermath of holiday celebrations:

- All holiday wrapping paper is recyclable. The only exceptions are the types made with foil or glitter. Acceptable wrapping paper can be dropped off at the silver bullets conveniently location at the Public Works Department. Wrapping paper should be placed in the bin with paperboard and corrugated cardboard.

- Shirt boxes, gift boxes and corrugated cardboard boxes are all recyclable, and also are accepted at the drop-off location in the appropriate bin.

- Styrofoam is not recyclable. However, most commercial mailing centers (Mail Boxes Etc., Package Plus, and UPS stores) accept Styrofoam peanuts for re-use. Please call ahead to make sure. Molded Styrofoam must be discarded in the trash.

- Wrapping paper or any plastic materials should never be burned in a fireplace or wood stove because of environmental concerns. If truly frugal you could also save and re-use next year.

For additional information, persons may call 871-SORT at ecomaine or visit the ecomaine website at www.ecomaine.org to find the location of the nearest ecomaine recycling container.

For those who are especially interested in what happens to the unrecyclable, post-holiday materials that get thrown in the trash, ecomaine offers tours of its waste-to-energy facility on Blueberry Road in Portland to groups from its member towns and cities. Call  773-6465 to schedule a tour.