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Connections
A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.
Connections

'Can this be recycled?': A guide to holiday (and year-round) recycling

By Gino Fanelli,
Megan Mack, Julie Williams
Published December 29, 2025 at 2:52 PM EST
Three people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman at left has long brown hair and is wearing a brown striped shirt; a man at center has short grey hair and is wearing glasses and a dark green fleece pullover; a man at right has short brown hair, a brown beard and is wearing glasses and a blue and brown plaid button-down shirt.
Julie Williams
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WXXI News
Nicole Fornof and Mike Garland with guest host Gino Fanelli on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Monday, December 29, 2025
A man with short light brown hair, mustache and beard, wearing glasses and a green jacket
John Schlia
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WXXI News
Gino Fanelli

It's a question you may hear in your circles each year during the clean-up from the holiday season: "Can this be recycled?"

From wrapping paper to Christmas trees to disposable cups, data shows Americans generate about 25% more waste around the holidays compared to the rest of the year.

This hour, guest host Gino Fanelli sits down with recycling experts from Monroe County to answer your questions. We also explore what's new when it comes recycling efforts in the county.

Our guests:

Connections
Gino Fanelli
Gino Fanelli is an investigative reporter who also covers City Hall. He joined the staff in 2019 by way of the Rochester Business Journal, and formerly served as a watchdog reporter for Gannett in Maryland and a stringer for the Associated Press.
See stories by Gino Fanelli
Megan Mack
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
See stories by Megan Mack
Julie Williams
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.
See stories by Julie Williams