Have A Heart And Recycle On Valentine’s Day

Americans are expected to spend $27 billion on Valentine’s Day this year.

The Oneida Herkimer Solid Waste Authority says mass amounts of greeting cards, candy and flowers add up to make Valentine’s Day one of the most wasteful days of the year.

But you can help out the environment by recycling.

“The Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority offers guidelines for proper recycling and disposal of Valentine’s gifts when the day is over,” said Authority Recycling Coordinator Samantha Brown. “With a little creativity and some pre-cycling, we can significantly reduce the amount of waste we produce this Valentine’s Day,” she continued.

The Solid Waste Authority is offering recycling tips for the following items:

Valentine’s Day Cards: Greeting cards and envelopes can be placed in your curbside recycling bin loosely, with no plastic bags, string or twine.

Candy Wrappers: Candy is often wrapped in cellophane wrappers or those that are wax coated and made with non recyclable materials. Please place candy wrappers in your regular garbage for disposal.

Candy Boxes: Many cardboard candy boxes also contain a plastic portion and are not accepted for recycling. Candy boxes should be placed in your regular garbage for disposal. Consider reusing candy boxes as organizers for crafts,jewelry or other small items.flowers and

Vases and Flowers: Flowers and glass vases are not accepted for recycling. Consider reusing vases before disposal. Flowers can be placed in your backyard composter or set out with green waste. Flowers can also be placed in your regular garbage.

For more information on solid waste and recycling, please visit www.ohswa.org or contact (315) 733-1224.