In light of the festivities, the City of Solana Beach released a holiday recycling guide, reminding citizens of the most environmentally conscious ways to deal with post-holiday clutter. According to their recent announcement, the guide aims to curb the environmental pollution caused by improper disposal of holiday waste.

Per the guide, regular wrapping paper, cardboard, glass bottles, and hard plastic containers are among the items that should be placed in the blue recycling cart. Citizens are encouraged to recycle holiday cards and envelopes made of paper, cartons, and even pie tins. Recyclables should be free of food residue, and some materials, like metallic wrapping paper, should be avoided as they can contaminate the recycling stream.

When it comes to organic waste, the green organics cart is your go-to. Poinsettias, Christmas trees, wreaths, and even turkey bones can go in, ensuring they're composted rather than taking up space in a landfill. The guide specifies that food scraps, soiled paper products such as napkins and paper towels, and paper takeout containers with any metal removed can be disposed of here. As the guide says, "Food scraps and food-soiled paper break down in Solana Beach’s commercial composting facility, so they don’t produce the methane emissions that contribute to climate change like they would in a landfill." This little act of sorting could significantly reduce holiday-related pollution.

The guide doesn't shy away from addressing items that, unfortunately, must be trashed. Fancy wrapping paper with foil, bows, ribbons, tinsel, and those pesky Styrofoam peanuts fall into this category. These items can't be recycled and must be thrown in the grey trash cart. A faux pas in recycling these materials can disrupt the process and lead to more waste, pointing to the importance of following the guidelines closely.

The full guide is accessible online and can be found on the City of Solana Beach website, providing detailed instructions on holiday waste management.