People across Windsor-Essex are being reminded to recycle after they unwrap their Christmas gifts.
The reminder is coming from the Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority.
Zero Waste Canada estimates each Canadian tosses about 50 kilograms of garbage over the holidays, 25% more than the rest of the year, thanks to the purchase of 3,000 tonnes of foil, 2.6 billion Christmas cards and six millions rolls of tape.
Waste Diversion Specialist with the solid waste authority, Heather Taylor, says they want people to make sure that everything that can be recycled makes its way into the red box or blue box.
"When I go out, I see a bunch of garbage cans and they look light and fluffy. Probably filled with a lot of card board boxes, Christmas wrapping paper, paper bags, cards, envelopes and things that should be going into the red box," says Taylor.
Canadians will send 100,000 elephants worth of wrapping paper to the landfill this year.
— EWSWA (@ewswa) December 18, 2018
She says Canadians will landfill 540,000 tonnes of wrapping paper and gift bags this year.
"One of the things we encourage residents to do is bring the red box and the blue box inside Christmas morning," says Taylor. "Keep it available when you're having your parties and you're celebrating over the holidays. We even suggest people go out and pick-up some extra yard waste bags for all of their holiday paper."