Green Christmas: gift wrap

Think inside the box. Or bag.

Little-known fact: Wrapping paper and tissue paper are not recyclable — even if you painstakingly peel off every scrap of scotch tape, every little gift tag. Instead, consider buying gift bags or boxes that can be used year after year. Or buy a stack of plain brown paper bags that can be recycled or decorated. But if the urge to wrap is just too strong, use paper that you already have around — like newspaper.

And speaking of boxes, here’s another common holiday recycling mistake: Styrofoam and peanuts.

“A lot of time (people) like to leave that in the box, and we don’t recycle that,” said Paul Nicholas, Columbia’s Solid Waste Management Collection Superintendent. But the boxes — once they’re emptied of packaging material — can be broken down and recycled.

For more information about holiday recycling, click here.