BUFFALO, N.Y. — Whether it’s a Christmas tree or the hundreds of bows that you’ve put on presents, Christmas time can often come with more waste than you want.

Modern Disposal in Buffalo has some tips on how you can responsibly get rid of your garbage.

First off, it's important to note exactly what you can recycle and what you can not. Christmas trees and lights go in the trash while those big boxes can get broken down and recycled. Tissue and wrapping paper can be recycled as long as it doesn’t have anything metallic on the underside.

Modern Disposal gets upwards of 400 tons of trash per day during the holidays, and one of the biggest hazards they see is electronics being sent in, which can cause fires if not properly disposed of. They advise you to call 311 for your nearest electronic drop-off site.

Also, make sure any boxes you toss are all emptied before being thrown out.

"Make sure they're empty of all of the Styrofoam, which is not recyclable," said Fenna Mandolang, services operations manager for Modern Disposal. "And make sure it's empty of all of the presents that you bought that were supposed to be in now. You might assume it's empty, but it might still be in there.”

If there is plastic foam in any of your holiday packaging, there should be less of it next year. A state ban goes into effect January 1.