Smothered in post-holiday stuff? Some tips to recycle and reuse

The guests have dispersed and the fruit cake is shelved for another year.

But still, piles of, well, stuff linger around the house.

Most people have tree recycling covered with disposal options such as the Bring One for the Chipper event being held Jan. 8 at area Home Depot stores and drop-offs at county fire stations and city recycling centers (visit www.earth911.com for a comprehensive list).

But what about that lumpy desktop computer that just got replaced by a sleek, lightweight laptop?

Or the yards of holiday lights that spent more time flickering out than guiding Rudolph to the rooftop?

Mary Harrington, program manager of the Atlanta Recycling Program, and Connie Wiggins, executive director of Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful, offered some suggestions for recycling common post-holiday items that might have you scratching your head about what to do with them.

To dispose: Wrapping paper and its cardboard tubes, boxes, cards, gift bags, ribbons, plates.

Anything that would normally be placed in a curbside recycling bin will be accepted (with the exception of foil wrapping paper). The recycling facility in Duluth also has special bins out 24/7 through Feb. 1 to accept those materials.

Or not to dispose: If you don't want to ditch meaningful cards, think about turning them into bookmarks or picture frames.

Wrapping paper could also find a second use as new lining for kitchen drawers or book covers to replace the grotty look of the kids’ textbooks.

And those dinner plates that looked so festive when you first bought them in 1987? Try breaking them up to create a mosaic.

To dispose: Holiday lights.

The recycling experts beg you not to throw leftover or defunct lights in with material to be recycled. The crunched glass creates a slew of problems, while cords tend to get tangled in recycling machinery.

Earth911.com points to the website www.HolidayLEDs.com, which accepts old lights via mail. The Jackson, Miss., company processes the lights and discards anything that can’t be recycled.

Or not to dispose: Typically, at least a couple of bulbs in the string make it through the season unscathed. Perhaps a new night light for the laundry room with one of the leftovers?

To dispose: Batteries.

Many retailers, such as Batteries Plus and Radio Shack, will accept batteries for recycling, especially lithium and rechargeable ones, which contain environmentally harmful heavy metals.

Notes Wiggins, “If you have a small amount of alkaline batteries, it’s probably OK for the garbage. But if there are a whole lot, it’s better to take them somewhere.”

For those being dumped in the garbage – place them in a plastic bag first, in case they leak.

Or not to dispose: Not many choices exist, so discard without guilt. Also on the recycle-since-there-is-no-other-use list? Gift cards. Area Best Buy stores are equipped with handy kiosks for tossing.

To dispose: Cellphones/computers.

Almost any cellphone retailer will recycle your old model. The same applies to computers, but inquire first, as some charge a small fee for their services. Along with retailers, organizations such as American Kidney Services and Atlanta Recycling Solutions will handle the cumbersome task for you.