PRESS RELEASE: Keep the holidays green: Kent County Department of Public Works releases Holiday Recycling Guide

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Keep the holidays green: Kent County Department of Public Works releases Holiday Recycling Guide

Guide helps residents recycle more, avoid excess landfill waste during holiday season

 

DATE: Monday, Nov. 17, 2025

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – As the holiday season approaches, the Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW) released its annual Holiday Recycling Guide to help residents reduce waste and increase recycling during festivities.

The Holiday Recycling Guide provides helpful information on recycling and waste disposal, including everything from glass bottles and toy packaging to wrapping paper and holiday string lights. Properly disposing of these holiday items helps reduce landfill waste in Kent County.

“Our Holiday Recycling Guide is a great resource for residents to use so we can all work together to keep unnecessary waste out of our landfills,” said Micah Herrboldt, waste reduction educator at the DPW. “Before throwing items in the trash, we encourage our community to check our Holiday Recycling Guide or online Recycling & Waste Directory to see if items can be recycled.”

During the holidays, household waste in the United States increases by 25% between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. That is about 1 million extra tons of waste being thrown away in landfills.

The Holiday Recycling Guide details which items are appropriate to place in a curbside recycling bin, such as glass bottles and jars, hard or rigid plastics, cartons, cardboard, paper cups, metal cans and foil. Many other items are recyclable in Kent County, and information about all recyclable materials can be found by searching the DPW’s online Recycling & Waste Directory.

The Holiday Guide also provides valuable information about how Kent County residents can safely and properly dispose of items that cannot be placed in a curbside recycling bin. These items include:

• Batteries: Lithium-ion, rechargeable and button batteries should be brought to one of the DPW’s SafeChem drop-off locations. These materials pose a fire risk during transportation and at the DPW’s recycling facility.
• Trees, wreaths and garland: Artificial trees, wreaths and garland are not recyclable but can be reused or donated. Live trees are compostable through many area compost and yard waste services.
• Wrapping paper and gift bags: Traditional gift wrap and bags are not recyclable due to glitter and heavy inks and dyes. The DPW encourages reusing gift wrapping or switching to plain kraft paper, which can be recycled.
• Toys and holiday decor: Toys, ugly holiday sweaters and decorations are often made of fabrics or too many different materials to be recycled. Donate, repurpose or re-gift these items instead.
• Frying oil: Whether it’s from latkes or a turkey, frying oil should never be dumped down the drain or tossed in the trash. Oil can be brought to one of the DPW’s SafeChem drop-off locations so it can be made into biofuel.
• Plastic foam and film packaging: Foam plastic, such as Styrofoam, and flexible plastic, like bubble wrap or shopping envelopes, can only be recycled at special drop-off locations, which can be found on DPW’s website.
• Holiday string lights: These are recyclable only at special collection drop offs at the DPW’s North Kent Recycling & Waste Center, South Kent Recycling & Waste Center or the SafeChem drop-off location in Grand Rapids. They should never be placed in a recycling bin as they get tangled around equipment.

Read the full Holiday Recycling Guide online

The Kent County Department of Public Works provides municipal solid waste disposal services to ensure the effective removal, storage and disposal of residential and commercial solid waste through various facilities and programs, including Waste-to-Energy, the Recycling and Education Center, North Kent Transfer Station and South Kent Landfill.

 

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