By Amanda Haffele

In the realm of love, where hearts entwine, the most enchanting day of the year beckons—Valentine’s Day!

Yet, let us not forget to extend our affection to our beloved planet as much as we do to our loved ones. Together, let’s explore ways to incorporate the principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle while celebrating romance.

Flowers

I absolutely adore getting flowers, especially when they come already arranged in a vase—it’s like receiving two gifts in one! Wash vases and save for your next floral arrangement or donate. Broken vases are not recyclable. If your bouquet is wrapped, be sure to dispose of the outer wrapping in the trash. Flowers that are past their prime have a couple of disposal options. Firstly, they can be dried and used for home decoration or the dried petals can be used as a natural confetti. Secondly, they can be added to compost piles or discarded in the trash.

Chocolates

Valentine’s Day falls perfectly between the Christmas and Easter candy seasons, making it an ideal time for delightful treats in a box. Properly disposing of the evidence can be a bit tricky so bear with me; boxes are recyclable (please flatten them), plastic boxes or containers including the wrap around them, and plastic inserts or cushions are not. Metal tins can be reused or dropped off to be recycled wherever you take scrap metal. Foil wrappers are too small to be recycled with scrap metal and must be disposed of in the trash. Remember to keep any leftover or unopened delights far from the recycling bin’s embrace.

Valentines

My heart secretly loves cheeky Valentines; “You’re one in a melon,” “I’m hoppy you’re mine,” “I love you a waffle lot,” “I wheelie like you, brie mine,” or my personal favorite—”I think you’re pretty can-tastic!”

Whether the cards are cheeky, romantic, or platonic they’re all recyclable as long as they’re bigger than a credit card and mostly glitter- and embellishment-free.

Stuffed animals

Stuffed animals provide comfort, spark imagination, foster emotional expression, and embody the essence of love. Whether given as tokens of love or cherished as treasured keepsakes, these huggable friends occupy a place in hearts and memories of both children and adults.

Yet, in the grand scheme of life, we find that our beloved companions do not always remain by our side. Hence, stuffed animals may be lovingly donated or gently surrendered to the embrace of the trash.

Food and drink

No matter if you’re indulging in a fancy dinner or savoring a slice of pizza with a beer, it’s bound to be a delicious evening. Beer, wine, and champagne bottles (or cans if you prefer) are very recyclable. Toss corks or keep them for your next creative masterpiece. To recycle aluminum cans, remove any plastic wrap or stickers, as these can hinder the cans’ recyclability. Most deinking processes (either chemical or extreme heat) are not set up to remove plastic and especially sticker labels from aluminum cans.

Pizza boxes are only recyclable if 1/16th or less of the box has grease on it. Takeout containers are not recyclable either; this includes Styrofoam, plastic, and paper ones.

Last but certainly not least, let’s appreciate the individuals that sort your recyclables. Here are three really good, and you should always follow anyway, suggestions:

1. Don’t bag your recyclables. Bagged recyclables do not get recycled. It doesn’t matter if they’re in a clear, blue, or black bag. Workers are not going to tear open bags and dig out your recycling.
2. Don’t place any plastic films or bags in your recycling carts. They won’t get recycled, and they’ll cause issues at the recycling facility.
3. Don’t recycle Styrofoam. It’s not recyclable in central Wisconsin unless you drive it to a drop-off location like Styrene Products in Schofield or Outagamie County Recycling and Solid Waste in Appleton.

By incorporating these simple suggestions, you can enjoy a memorable Valentine’s Day that shows love not only for each other, and the recycling facility but also for our planet. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Amanda Haffele is the Portage County Solid Waste Director. She works at the Material Recovery Facility, 600 Moore Rd., Plover, and can be reached at 715.343.6297 or [email protected].