COLUMBIA, S.C. — The holiday season is here, and with it comes a lot of trash.
Common holiday items like gift boxes, wrapping paper and even cooking oil can be recycled or reused.
This contributes to the reduction of waste sent to landfills, creation of jobs and conservation of natural resources like timber, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Each county handles recycling a little bit differently.
Plastic bottles, metal cans, Christmas trees and even old electronics can be recycled in some areas.
Richland County residents can recycle by taking items to a number of different drop-off sites or by utilizing the curb-side recycling containers the county provides, according to Jackie Hong, the county's recycling coordinator.
"For Richland County, we have a lime green recycling bin that they can put (recyclables) in, and then, for people that live in apartments, they can drop it off at some of our drop-off sites," Hong said.
The C&D Landfill located at 1070 Caughman Road North, is one Richland County drop-off site.
Robert Evans was among the steady flow of people dropping-off items on Friday.
"You know, one man's trash is another man's treasure," Evans said. "Some of the stuff that's thrown away... it can be reused again."
Ribbons and bows are among those reusable items.
They cannot be recycled. Nor can shimmering wrapping paper or paper with too much tape, according to Hong.
"Please do not recycle Styrofoams, like packing peanuts, those are not recyclable," Hong said, "and please do not bag your recyclables. No plastic bag please."
For specifics on where to recycle in South Carolina click here and for more tips on how to recycle common household items visit epa.gov.