People might want to do their homework if they’re planning on recycling more in 2019, especially when it comes to holiday trash.

Recycling centers nationwide are becoming more selective about the waste they accept, largely because of changes to the industry.

Many environmentalists come to the Bridging the Gap Recycling Center off Deramus Ave. with good intentions.

“I just think it’s important for the environment,” Amy Lowe said, adding that she began recycling 20 years ago.

On a cold January morning she had brought her cardboard and glass to drop off in one of the many bins at the facility.

“You start filling up one landfill then another then another,” Lowe said. “Where does it stop?”

That passion was shared by Thomas Schlange, who manages the Deramus location.

“I see the degredation of our water,” he said, “our air, our land.”

The first few weeks of the year can become busy at the recycling center, with dozens of people stopping by over their lunch breaks to discard their cardboard boxes and refuse from holiday parties, estate sales and, in recent years, shipping boxes.

“Most of this is Amazon boxes,” Schlange noted, gesturing toward a railroad-car-sized bin stuffed to the gills with cardboard.

Bridging the Gap also accepts holiday lights, though not all Christmas fare is recyclable. Holiday wrapping paper, shiny decorations, boxes with plastic windows and containers with food residue aren’t acceptable.

“We’re trying to keep a pretty clean product,” Schlange explained.

Nearly 80 percent of the waste in American landfills could be recycled, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. However, good intentions are often not enough to keep waste out of the dump.

Schlange said improper recycling often undermines the work of people who dispose of their trash correctly, calling it “a huge issue.”

Sorting correctly could become an even more important issue in 2019. According to Schlange, it’s becoming harder to find buyers who will take plastic, largely because China has increased standards for the materials they receive.

“Buyers want clean material,” Schlange said, explaining that Chinese buyers have scaled back the amount of American recycling they are taking as a result.

The stakes for recycling are high enough that veteran recyclers like Lowe want to encourage others to start recycling — even if it’s just a few items per day.

“I think it’s important just to try to do it.”