Must-Know Christmas Recycling Tips for Illinois Parents

Now that Christmas is a week away, we need to prepare ourselves for all the trash that comes along with it. By trash I mean boxes, toy packaging, ripped wrapping paper, and bows. It's probably good to have a reminder about what items can be recycled, and which ones can't be in Illinois.

The Most Dreaded Part of Christmas

If you’re a parent, you know exactly what’s coming on Christmas morning: a living room that looks like it went to war with rolls of wrapping paper and cardboard.

Between ripped boxes, plastic ties, mystery packaging, and toys that require an engineering degree to assemble, the trash situation gets out of control fast. I won't even get started on how hard it is to find a place to put all those new Christmas toys after the cleanup is finished.

READ MORE: 4 Christmas Mistakes Illinoisans Always Regret

We all might live for the joy on kids' faces come Christmas morning, but all the trash that comes with it? I wish I could ask Santa for a robot to do the cleanup for me.

Christmas Recycling Reminders

On Christmas morning, I'm the mom that comes to the family room armed with a cup of coffee and a box of trash bags so I can stay ahead of the holiday tornado of trash.

As my kids start ripping through the pile of presents, I'm often tempted to throw all the trash in one bag, but that's not the right thing to do. Coming armed with trash bags and a big box to put all the recyclable items into is.

Here's a great rundown of common Christmas items that can be recycled, and those that cannot be from the City of Rockford:

I guess the moral of this story is: half of Christmas morning can be recycled, so please do your best to dispose of it all in the proper places.

If only assembling toys could be this simple.