As the holiday season turns up the joy, Mecklenburg County Solid Waste and Recycling is turning up the green. They've rolled out an invite to residents: Ease the burden on the landfill, and ensure your holiday waste is properly sorted. A recent article from MeckNC.gov detailed the ways locals can get involved, emphasizing that there's a noticeable spike—more than a quarter increase—in trash volume from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day.
Getting into the nitty-gritty, the county is not trying to be a grinch but offering practical guidelines. Up to two natural Christmas trees per resident can find new life through composting, provided all ornaments and sparkle are stripped. The same goes for natural wreaths sans trimmings, and those piles of plain wrapping paper and cards—if they're shimmer and glitter-free. As expressed by MeckNC.gov, "Residents can drop off the following at full-service or staffed recycling centers."
However, not every holiday festive should be tossed into the nearest recycling bin. Residents should consider other disposal methods for items that won't go through the recycling process properly. Decking out your gifts with ribbons, bows, and glitzy wrapping paper should come with a plan for their eventual disposal. The eternal reminder: rechargeable batteries, so often nestled within the guts of our newest gadgets, require their own pilgrimage to a recycling center, lest they catch fire and lead us into less merry seasons.
When it comes to the where and when, Mecklenburg County offers a variety of locations for residents to responsibly unload their post-holiday remnants. Options range from the Compost Central to Foxhole and beyond, strategically stationed throughout Charlotte and Huntersville. And though the centers will be taking a brief holiday themselves, closing early on Christmas Eve and remaining closed on December 25 and January 1, their doors will be wide open to embrace your recyclables throughout the rest of the festive period. Full addresses and operating hours are laid out on the county's waste management website, for those looking to make environmentally sound choices this holiday season.
