This time of the year our trash and recycling bins, much like our pants, are bursting.
 
 
Roughly five tons of trash at a time is dropped off at Modern Disposal's Tift Street location in Buffalo. Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, there's a 25 percent increase in waste.

Though, not all of it is tidings of joy.

"You're getting a lot of packages this time of the year," said Operations Manager Fenna Mandolang. "We love that cardboard, just not what's inside."

That includes packing peanuts, Styrofoam and even those little pouches filled with air that have the recycling symbol. And just because it has paper in its name, not all wrapping paper is welcome either.

"Good old plain wrapping paper, we can recycle that," Mandolang said. "But if it has glitter, sequins, plastic or metallic coating, it is not recyclable. What they do is they put it in a big bath to dissolve it. That's sort of a test in your own mind, would it dissolve?"

Trash the cute bows, too. Plastic food trays aren't the best option either.

"Sometimes there's a market for it and sometimes there's not," Mandolang continued. "We recycle it as much as we can."

Also on the do not decorate your bin with list: electronics, Christmas lights and batteries.

"You see this loader back here picking up material and if a battery gets caught in its lip, it could spark," Mandolang.

Christmas trees don't belong in either tote or on your curb on garbage day. Instead, call your municipality to find out what to do. As you head to your bins, Mandolang says remember not recycling properly will not only have effects on the environment and your wallet.

"When trash gets put into the recycling, it makes the process less efficient," she said. "It will essentially get back to the taxpayer because it costs more."

Aerosol cans and propane tanks are two other things to never put into your recycling bin. Remember there are men and women who sort your recycling, so don't put anything in there that could harm them.