Woo Your Valentine This Year — With Recycling

flowers

According to a recent study by The Recycling Partnership, the majority of Americans find it attractive when others make the effort to recycle. Younger folks are especially inclined to view being wasteful as a dealbreaker. In fact, adults 18-34 care so much about recycling that they would spend an average of $219 a month — or as much as $2,628 a year — if it meant everything they bought came from companies that make every effort to recycle.

This year, woo your Valentine with these recycling skills:

  • Give your Valentine a card made from recycled paper. You can recycle cards only if they are free of glitter and metallic foil. If a card has glitter or foil on it, cut or tear those sections off and throw them away — you can recycle what’s left of the card.
  • If you’re giving or receiving flowers, put the bouquet’s plastic wrap in the trash. It’s the stiff and crinkly kind of film that can’t be recycled with plastic bags, so toss it in the trash.
  • Once you’re done with the flowers, put them in with your yard trimmings.
  • Candy wrappers can’t be recycled, so remember to toss them in the trash. Chocolate boxes can be recycled only if they’re empty of chocolate and any box liners or individual wrappers.
  • Wine bottles can be recycled.
  • If a wine cork is made from plastic, throw it in the trash. If it is made from natural cork, it can be dropped off for special recycling collection at many Whole Foods locations and other retailers.
  • Hosting a party? Most party decorations can be saved for reuse, but once you’re done with them, give them away or toss them in the trash. Only if they are plain paper or cardboard (no glitter, foil, plastic or other mixed materials) can they be recycled.

Need to find out how to recycle something else? Look it up in our Recycling Guide.

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