Now It’s Time to Decorate the Dumps

Trash companies throughout the county were busier than usual Tuesday, unloading containers brimming with holiday wrappings and catching up on work that wasn’t done during the holiday.

It’s one of the busiest weeks of the year for the workers who drive the trucks to make sure garbage is out of sight and out of mind.

“We try to put out extra trucks this time of year,” said Paul Spann, operations manager for Waste Management of Orange County, which serves Orange, Santa Ana, Irvine, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Laguna Beach and the unincorporated parts of the county.

Even more troublesome than trash containers overflowing with gift-wrap are flocked Christmas trees, which can fill a garbage truck quickly.

“Flocked trees are not recyclable; they have to be thrown away,” Spann said. “But the green ones with all the tinsel and ornaments removed can be picked up separately and sent to a company that grinds them up for composting.”

Michelle Deconinck, community relations manager for the county’s landfills, had no information on how much more trash will be dumped this week, but she said the garbage is more attractive.

“The landfills are beautiful after Christmas,” she said whimsically, describing wrapping and tinsel that add sparkle to piles of ordinary debris. “It’s a great time to take a tour.”

Spann said his company picks up Christmas trees for recycling through Jan. 6. That usually provides residents with enough time to pack up their holiday trimmings, but not always.

“We still get the occasional Christmas tree in the middle of July,” he added.