This week families all over the Peninsula will be unwrapping and unboxing presents.

Then discarding holiday gift packaging.

Waste management officials in James City and York counties, and Hampton and Newport News are reminding residents how to properly dispose of or recycle the heap of wrapping paper and boxes.

Samantha McNeil, outreach coordinator with York County, said while the holidays have plenty of opportunity to recycle properly, there is more waste which means also more opportunities to make mistakes.

“The general rule is, when in doubt—throw it out,” she said.

Laurie Halperin, York County’s waste services manager, said of course people will make mistakes, but one person accidentally recycling something they shouldn’t is different than if half the residents on a route do so.

“If multiple people add [non-recyclable materials], then the whole route will be contaminated and all the recyclable materials end up in a landfill,” she said.

That’s why it’s important residents make themselves familiar with what can and can’t be recycled and their recycling schedules in each locality.

James City County

Curbside recycling will be delayed by one day on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Residents should remember recycling carts should be at their curb by 7 a.m. on their collection day. The county will only collect items that are inside the recycling cart.

To best use the space in the cart, the county recommends flattening all boxes, placing the flattened cardboard into the cart last and using one of the boxes to contain pieces of flattened cardboard.

The county also wants to remind residents to be aware that if there are strong winds on their collection day, then it might be best to hold the boxes until the next collection day or bring them to a convenience center.

When going to recycle those mounds of holiday wrapping paper, the county wants residents to be mindful of what can and can’t be recycled.

According to the James City County website, there are a lot of holiday items that can’t be recycled including:

• Bubble wrap
• Ribbons, tape and bows
• Tree ornaments and decorations
• Sticky gift labels
• Laminated or coated gift bags
• Foam peanuts and Styrofoam packaging
• Cellophane or plastic bags
• Christmas lights
• Christmas trees

Items that can be placed in recycling include:

• Tissue paper
• Plain wrapping paper
• Paper gift bags
• Holiday cards
• Envelopes
• Shoe boxes
• Cardboard and paper
• Plastic bottles and jugs
• Glass bottles and jars
• Aluminum cans and foil
• Metal cans

York County

Curbside garbage and recycling collection will not be operating on Wednesday. After Wednesday, curbside garbage and recycling will be moved back one day with services ending on Saturday, according to the county’s website.

For those who do plan on recycling items, there are a number of ways to make sure what’s being recycled isn’t harmful.

Halperin said a lot of people don’t realize items with foil and glitter can’t be recycled.

“When items go to a processing plant, different materials are sent in different directions,” she said. “So when optic sorters see foil, for example, they think it’s paper because it’s so thin. So then it gets sorted with the paper and contaminates it.”

According to HRGreen, a professional engineering company that works with the county, here are holiday items that can be recycled in York County:

• Paper greeting cards and envelopes
• Paper gift bags
• Plain wrapping paper without glitter or foil
• Cardboard shipping boxes

Here is what will put you on the naughty list:

• Greeting cards with glitter or metallic accents
• Gift wrap or gift bags made of foil or plastic
• Ribbons and bows
• Plastic product packaging
• Tissue paper
• Wrapping paper with glitter

Halperin said recycling is the last step to being environmentally friendly. For those wanting to avoid creating waste in the first place, here are some suggestions:

• Keep reusable shopping bags in your car
• Make a donation as a gift
• Send e-cards
• Use non-plastic, reusable dinnerware when entertaining
• Give electronic gifts with rechargeable batteries
• Recycle your Christmas tree

Hampton

Recycling, refuse, bulk trash, and yard waste will not be collected Wednesday in Hampton without changes to the Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday solid waste schedules, according to the city’s website.

During the week of Christmas residents in the “green” recycling zones will have their containers emptied on the same day as trash collection, while those in the “blue” recycling zones will have their containers emptied the following week.

City officials reminded residents on their website all recyclable items must be inside the container before collection, including flattened and dry cardboard boxes, “the lid on the container is designed to keep the paper dry.”

Hampton does not recycle plastic shopping bags or garbage bags so items should be loose inside the container.

Residents can put their recycling bins on the burn with the arrow facing the street no earlier than 3 p.m. on the day before its scheduled collection and off the curb by midnight the day after.

Click here for more information about Hampton’s Solid Waste Division.

Newport News

Not sure how to dispose of your Christmas tree?

Some localities like Newport News will collect the tree via the city’s curbside bulk collection recycling program. See the full collection schedule here.

You can also drop off the tree to the Recovery Operations Center on 520 Atkinson Way.

Here are some eco-friendly ways you can dispose of your tree

• Remove tinsel, ornaments, lights, tree stand and other decorations
• Mulch the tree in a chipper to make flower beds
• Branches can be cut to protect new plants
• Put tree outside for wildlife like birds and other critters
• Use the tree for firewood

Other holiday items that can be recycled are wrapping paper without metal or foil, gift bags without ribbons or rope handles, cardboard and of course, Christmas trees. Tissue paper and Styrofoam is not recyclable.

Click here for general garbage program guidelines and here for information about the city’s recycling program.

As a reminder, garbage, recycling and bulk waste collections will be delayed one day starting on Wednesday and the Recovery Operations Center is closed Dec. 24-25.

RELATED STORY: Here’s what’s closed for the Christmas holiday

WYDaily multimedia reporters Alexa Doiron, Julia Marsigliano and Lucretia Cunningham contributed to this story.