Not all holiday waste can be recycled in Clark County; make sure you get everything in right bin

Now that the holidays are over, it’s time to start cleaning up from the festivities. Clark County Green Neighbors reminds residents that many items cannot be recycled and should not be placed in curbside bins.

That list includes:

• String lights. They can get stuck on the sorting line and jam machinery. Put string lights in the garbage or take to a special recycling location.
• Batteries. These should be put in a plastic bag and placed on top of the blue bin. The ends of the batteries must be taped. Do not include lithium, vehicle or other lead-acid batteries. Batteries that are not properly handled and disposed of can explode and pose a fire risk. There are several battery drop-off sites in the county.
• Electronics. Devices often contain both toxic chemicals and valuable materials that should be recycled and not left in the landfill. Find a specialized recycling center on the RecycleRight app, which is available for Apple and Android devices.
• Block foam. During transportation and sorting, block foam breaks apart easily and causes problems at the sorting facility.
• Bubble wrap, including air pillows. Recycle at a plastic film collection bin at most retail stores, or put them in the garbage.
• Food scraps. Composting food scraps has many benefits. Waste Connections customers in Vancouver and Ridgefield with curbside organics service can place scraps in their carts. All residents can drop off food waste for free at a We Compost Community Hub location. Locations are listed at clarkgreenneighbors.org/we-compost.

Trees

When it’s time to get rid of your Christmas tree, have it turned into mulch. Be sure to remove any decorations, tinsel, ornaments, lights or wires. Also, only natural trees can be used for mulch. Trees with artificial flocking will have to be taken to the landfill.

For residents in Vancouver and Ridgefield with yard debris or organics service, cut trees into sections of up to 5 feet and place in your yard debris or organics cart.

Residents can recycle trees of any size for a small fee, typically $5 or less, at one of these locations:

• Central Transfer and Recycling, 11034 N.E. 117th Ave., Vancouver.
• City Bark, 2419 N.E. Andresen Road, Vancouver.
• H&H Wood Recyclers, 8401 N.E. 117th Ave., Vancouver.
• McFarlane’s Bark, 8806 N.E. 117th Ave., Vancouver.
• Triangle Resources, 612 S.E. Union St., Camas.
• West Van Materials Recovery Center, 6601 N.W. Old Lower River Road, Vancouver.

Scouting America will be collecting trees for recycling in several areas Saturday. The service is free, but donations will be accepted. Go to scouttreerecycling.com and enter your address to find the nearest location and information.

Waste Connections customers who do not have yard debris or organics service can put cut trees next to their garbage carts and pay for an extra 32-gallon collection. Trees collected with garbage will be sent to the landfill and won’t be recycled.

Waste Connections occasionally audits what residents throw in their blue bins. On collection day, recycling advocates with Waste Connections lift cart lids to check for items that do not belong. When they see unaccepted items, they’ll hang an “Oops” tag on the cart to provide education and feedback to residents.

The program, which has been around for more than a decade, seems to be working. According to the company, garbage found in recycling bins has dropped by 50 percent.