The holidays are a special time on San Juan Island: family visits, festive meals, online orders arriving on the ferry, and cozy gatherings at home. But along with all that celebration comes something less festive — a big surge in waste. Extra packaging, gift wrap, shipping boxes, food containers, and decorations move through homes at a rapid pace, and it can feel overwhelming to figure out what to do with it all. At San Juan Transfer Station, we see that surge every year, and we’re here to help residents manage it responsibly.

The first step is simply recognizing how much of this material is avoidable or reusable. Before the season begins, consider how you buy and wrap gifts. Can you choose items with less packaging, buy locally instead of shipping multiple boxes from across the country, or use reusable bags, tins, or fabric wraps instead of single-use paper? Every choice you make upstream reduces what ends up in the recycling bin or garbage can later.

Of course, some waste is unavoidable. That’s where sorting and preparation become incredibly important. Our recycling system works best when materials are clean, dry, and properly separated. That means breaking down cardboard boxes, removing plastic air pillows or foam inserts, and keeping food residue out of your recycling. Flattened cardboard not only takes up less space in your vehicle and in our facility, it also helps loads move efficiently through the system.

Gift wrap is another big player in holiday waste. Unfortunately, not all wrapping paper is recyclable. Shiny, metallic, glitter-covered or heavily laminated wraps are usually not accepted in standard paper recycling streams. When in doubt, keep those out of your recycling and look for simpler paper wraps next year. Tissue paper can often be reused, and ribbons and bows are great candidates for a “holiday box” you bring out year after year instead of buying new.

Then there’s the packaging that comes with holiday meals and parties. Plastic containers, metal cans, glass bottles, and jars can all be recyclable when cleaned and dried. Take a few extra moments to rinse containers and let them dry before collection. This helps prevent contamination that can send otherwise recyclable material to the landfill. Greasy pizza boxes or heavily food-soiled paper products should go in the garbage, not in with clean cardboard.

Timing also makes a difference. Rather than waiting until the week after New Year’s to bring in a massive load, think about staging your trips to the transfer station. If you already know you’ll have extra recycling and garbage, plan one trip just before the festivities and another shortly after. That spreads out the volume for you and for our staff, and reduces the chance of long lines and full vehicles.

For many families, the holidays are also a time of decluttering — clearing out old toys, décor, or broken electronics to make room for new things. Consider pairing your holiday clean-up with a trip to drop off e-waste and properly dispose of items you no longer need. When you do so, separate what can be donated or reused from what truly must be recycled or landfilled.

Finally, remember that managing holiday waste is about more than convenience; it’s about caring for the island we share. Our community depends on clean shorelines, healthy forests, and a functioning waste system that isn’t overloaded. By planning ahead, reducing what we can, and recycling correctly, we all help protect the environment that makes the holidays here so special.

This season, we invite you to think of San Juan Transfer Station as a partner in your celebrations. A bit of planning, careful sorting, and thoughtful choices can turn the holiday waste surge into an opportunity to practice good stewardship — and start the new year with better habits and a cleaner island.