Christmas Collection Schedule

City of Charlotte Solid Waste Services will not collect garbage, recycling, yard waste and bulky items on Monday, December 25, 2017. Solid Waste Services will operate on a one-day delay beginning on Tuesday, December 26, 2017 with Friday customers receiving service on Saturday, December 30, 2017. It's an orange recycling collection week.

How to Prepare For Collection ::

• Do not overfill carts or place outside of the cart. Items  outside the rollout carts will not be collected. 
• Please ensure that the lid on your garbage and recycling rollout carts are down. 
• Please place the cart within six feet of the curb and with the handle facing toward your property. Do not block the sidewalk. 
• Please allow three feet of space between collection items and other obstacles such as mailboxes, phone poles and vehicles.
• Place the cart at the curb no later than 6:00 am on your scheduled collection day. 
• Place the cart at the curb no sooner than than the day before collection. The cart must be removed from the curb by midnight on the day of collection. A minimum $50 citation may be issued if you place the cart at the curb sooner than the day before collection or leave it at the curb past midnight on your collection day. 
• All recyclables should be loose in the cart. Recyclables should not be bagged. 
• For recycling: no plastic bags. Plastic bags aren't accepted and should be recycled at local grocery store. Styrofoam and plastic plates and cups should be thrown in the garbage. 
• For yard waste and bulky waste preparation tips visit our item preparation quick tips page. 

Seven Eco-Friendly Gift Ideas

According to the National Environmental Educational Foundation (NEEF), "between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, the amount of trash produced in the United States increases by an estimated 25%—that’s about one million extra tons of garbage each week." Give to your loved ones, as well as the environment by trying these eco-friendly gift ideas.

1. Handcrafted or D-I-Y gifts. There's nothing sweeter than a gift that comes straight from the heart. Anybody can buy someone something, but to actually take the time to make something shows thoughtfulness and dedication. Handcrafted scarfs, hats or crafts are unique and priceless gifts.
2. An experience or excursion. Who doesn't love creating memories? Instead of buying your loved ones things take them on a fun excursion or on an experience they've never had before. Cool ideas for this type of gift include :: a trip to the museum, movie or concert tickets, a sporting event a day at the spa or a fun fitness class like yoga, zumba or spin.
3. Baked goods. Bake a gift that will warm the soul and the heart. Delicious baked treats make perfect gifts and are great money savers. You can put the treats in cute reusable bags that your friends and family can reuse. 
4. Flowers. Flowers are beautiful waste-free gifts. Once they've gone bad, the flowers can be composted.  
5. Hand written letters. Each year, an estimated 2.6 billion holiday cards are sold in the US. Instead of a traditional card, consider going retro and hand writing a letter. The recipient will surely appreciate the effort.  
6. A nice bottle of local wine, olive oil, beer or coffee. Support you local community and the environment by buying an item that can be reused and eventually recycled. 
7. Gift cards. Remember that shocking holiday card statistic in #5? Instead of placing money in a card, give the person a gift card to the favorite store or restaurant. Most gift card envelopes allow you to write a short message to go along with the gift. 

Have a safe and wonderful holiday!  

Christmas Tree Collection