Cape Breton Regional Municipality

Holiday Disposal Reminders

 

During holidays or special events, large amounts of gift wrap, styrofoam, boxes, food waste, decorations and other festive packaging gets disposed of incorrectly. While celebrating any holiday or special occassion with family and friends, the Solid Waste Department encourages everyone to dispose of their waste properly.

 

Holiday Disposal Reminders

Items and Disposal Options	Re-Use	Clear Bag (Garbage)	Blue Bag 1 (Plastics)	Blue Bag 2 (Paper)	Green Cart (Food Waste)	Other
Gift wrap, ribbon, bows, tissue paper and other gift accessories	√	√
ALL Styrofoam packaging	√	√
Cardboard boxes  (if flattening, tying and bundling cardboard loose curbside, please make sure each bundle is no larger than 2feet by 3feet by 8 inches.)	√			√
Empty cardboard tubes				√
Decorative gift boxes	√			√
Cards (non-glitter)	√			√
Cards (glittery, musical)	√	√
Plastic packaging (toys)			√
Plastic food packaging used to seal/wrap meat, fish & poultry		√
Broken or damaged ornaments 1		√
Broken glassware 1		√
Food scraps/table scraps					√
Fireworks 2 WARNING: Do not dispose of fireworks while still hot or warm		√
Christmas tree lights		√
Computers/e-readers/video gaming systems/microwave ovens, etc. 3						√
Beverage Containers 4			√
Milk Cartons & Eggnog containers			√
Artificial Christmas trees & artificial wreaths						√
Gift Bags	√	√

1.  Broken glass and broken or damaged ornaments should be placed inside a small box or container and labelled broken glass before disposing in your clear garbage bag.

2.  COLD firework debris can be disposed of in your clear garbage bag.  Do not dispose of used fireworks in the garbage while debris is still hot or warm.

3.  Computers, e-readers, video gaming systems, microwave ovens and other electronics can be dropped-off free of charge at a local EPRA drop-off site.  For more information on the Electronics Recycling program visit www.recycleMYelectronics.ca/ns

4.  Beverage Containers can be returned to any local ENVIRO-DEPOT^TM located in CBRM or disposed of in your Container/Plastic Materials Blue Bag. For more information on the Beverage Container program visit:  https://divertns.ca/recycling/what-goes-where/beverage-container-recycling

 

Waste Management: Holiday Disposal Reminders

If you cannot reuse your holiday packaging, please dispose of it properly.

Holiday packaging and decorations including:

• Used wrapping paper, ribbon, bows and glittery cards

• Used tape

• Gift bags, gift tags, glittery boxes

• All Styrofoam

• Damaged or broken ornaments

• Christmas lights

• Tinsel

• Garland

• Window decals

and other festive packaging or decorations that cannot be reused, should be disposed of the in the clear garbage bag for disposal.

Holiday packaging including:

• Non-glittery cards, gift cards

• Cardboard boxes

• Non-glittery gift boxes

and other plain, non-glittery festive packaging (excluding gift wrap/wrapping paper) that can not be reused, should be disposed of in the paper product blue bag.

 

Holiday Gift ideas that Reduce Waste During the Holiday Season

Choose gifts that reduce waste and make treasured memories.

Gifts to make memories

• Provide tickets to a concert, play or sporting event
• Gift certificates for dinner, spa treatment, haircut, oil change or nails

Gifts of Time

• Help others with a project such as painting a room, cleaning or washing down cubboards or walls, etc.
• Offer to babysit
• shovel walkway and driveway following a snowstorm
• Mow grass and/or trim hedges 
• Take them on a special outing

Make the present yourself

• Give homemade baked goods such as cookies, pies, cakes, fudge, etc.
• Prepare a meal
• Give crafts you made yourself or had made for them

Donate to a special cause in their name

• Donate to a local charity on their behalf

 

Gift Wrap and Accessories 

 

Electronics Recycling

Replacing old unwanted electronics this holiday season?  Remember, many of these items are now recycled and no longer belong in a landfill for disposal.  In CBRM, you can bring many unwanted electronics free of charge to a local EPRA Depot for proper recycling.  Visit https://www.recyclemyelectronics.ca/ns/what-can-i-recycle/  for a list of electronics that can be recycled in this program.  For a list of depots located in CBRM, visit https://www.recyclemyelectronics.ca/ns/

 

Used Fireworks and Sparklers

 

 

 

Halloween Decorations

Consider reusing or repurposing Halloween decorations if they have not become worn or damaged before placing them in the garbage. If they are damaged make sure you dispose of them properly. Decorations made of paper or cardboard with no glitter, glues or ornaments can be placed in the blue bag used for paper products. Decorations that contain a lot of glitter, glue, paint, or ornaments would get disposed of in the garbage.

 

Pumpkins & Gourds

Pumpkins and gourds you no longer need once Halloween is over can be placed in your green cart for collection or in a backyard composter. Please remove any decorations you used to create your pumpkin or gourd designs. If you placed a candle inside to light up your pumpkin, please remove the candle before disposing of pumpkins and gourds in your green cart or backyard composter.

 

Candles

if you cannot reuse candles,  please dispose of them in the garbage once the candles are cold.

 

Corn Stalks

Corn stalks can be disposed of in your green cart. Plastic corn stalks should be disposed of in the garbage if you can no longer reuse them.

 

Hay Bales

The hay used to make a hay bales should be gradually added to your green cart over time.  Residents may also bring hay bales to one of the seasonal leaf and yard drop-off sites for disposal or to the Waste Management Facility's leaf and yard drop-off area open year-round.

 

Costumes & Masks

Give your costumes and masks a second chance. Consider donating used costumes and masks you know longer want if these items are still in good condition. Share them with your family, friends or consider placing the costumes in a local donation bin. To locate a donation bin near your address visit https://afterwear.ca/

 

Halloween Treats

Candy, pastries, and bars are sweeter when you do not litter the wrappers after sampling your treats. Remember our streets, sidewalks and bushes are not the place to toss these wrappers. Hold onto your wrappers until you can properly place them in the garbage.

Chips and cheezies are tastier when you do not toss the empty bag on the road, sidewalks, or bushes. Our community is not a trash can. Hold onto your empty bags until you can properly place them in the garbage.

 

Empty pop cans, and other Refundable items:  Empty beverage containers can be returned to any local ENVIRO-DEPOT^TM located in CBRM.  You can also dispose of these containers in your container/plastics blue bag.  Please make sure you rinse out containers before disposal.  For more information on the beverage container recycling program visit https://divertns.ca/beverage-containers

 

Gift wrap, ribbons and bows:  All gift wrap, ribbons and bows get placed in the garbage for disposal. Please do not dispose of this packaging in your blue bags or green cart.

 

Styrofoam packaging:  All styrofoam packaging gets placed in the garbage for disposal. Please place these materials in your clear garbage bag not in blue bags or your green cart.