Fourth of July Collection Schedule

City of Charlotte Solid Waste Services will collect garbage, recycling, yard waste and bulky items on Wednesday, July 4, 2018. 

How to Prepare For Collection ::

1. Do not overfill carts or place garbage or recyclables outside of the cart. Items outside the rollout carts will not be collected. 
2. Please ensure that the lid on your garbage and recycling rollout carts are down. 
3. Please place the cart within six feet of the curb and with the handle facing toward your property. Do not block the sidewalk. 
4. Please allow three feet of space between collection items and other obstacles such as mailboxes, phone poles and vehicles.
5. Place the cart at the curb no later than 6:00 a.m. on your scheduled collection day. 
6. Place the cart at the curb no sooner than the day before collection. The cart must be removed from the curb by midnight on the day of collection. A minimum $150 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. 
7. All recyclables should be loose in the cart. Recyclables should not be bagged. 
8. Do not place plastic bags in the recycling cart. 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. 
9. For yard waste and bulky waste preparation tips visit our item preparation quick tips page. 

"Go Green, Go Clean" This Summer's Cleanest Anthem!

It's not too often that a garbage department has their own song! Listen to the summer's cleanest anthem "Go, Green Go Clean" produced by NC artist Ricky Ruckus. The message is clear :: improve your health and the environment by reducing your waste. You can reduce your waste by using waste reduction strategies like composting, upcycling, reusing and recycling. 

Three Steps For Safe Charcoal Grilling

The weather is warming up and that means spending more time outdoors enjoying great weather, people and great food around the grill. 

Fires happen when residents put charcoal from a grill into a plastic garbage can, or paper and plastic bags. Charcoal can stay warm for a long time. The ashes can smolder – sometimes for days. When placed inside plastic bags and into plastic containers, they can cause a fire to not only the container it is in, but also to surrounding structures, like houses and cars.

So, just how should you dispose of your charcoal?

Charcoal can be placed in your garbage cart, but please make sure:

1. Charcoal is completely cooled
2. Cool charcoal in a metal container with a metal lid.
3. Keep cooling coals away from flammable liquids and materials.

Happy grilling!

5 Ways to Ensure a Hassle-Free Zero Waste Party

Throwing a party to celebrate the Fourth? Looking for a way to entertain all your friends but keep trash at a minimum? Try these five great tips to show appreciation for your country and environment by throwing a zero-waste barbecue!

1. Put it on the invitation. Set yourself up for success by letting people know that your goal is a zero waste party. Explain what that is and give some clear guidelines. E.g. “Recyclables OK,” or “Please consider bringing your potluck dish in a washable container with a lid rather than covering it with plastic wrap.”
2. Ask your friends to BYO. If you don't have enough plates or glasses for everyone, ask your guests to bring their own items. This will make your event unique and eclectic. Attendees will also be more inclined to do their own dishes creating less hassle and clean up for you.
3. Hide the trashcan. If they can’t find it, they’ll look for an alternative and use the bus bins and compost! With this sly eco trick,the amount of captured and compostable food waste increases dramatically. Worse case scenario, if they can’t figure out where to throw stuff away, they’ll ask, and you or someone else will redirect 
4. Build your stash of reusable party-ware over time. If you throw a lot of parties and you have the storage space, it’s worth investing in enough dishes, glasses and utensils for your parties. them.
5. Use these easy waste free party-ware swaps.

• Paper Plates: compostable bamboo plates, regular ceramic plates, or our Stainless Camping Trays(you can order them as singles, or in packs of 4 or 6).
• Cups and glasses: regular glassware, stainless steel pint glasses, Mason jars.
• Utensils: metal utensils, BYO utensils, washing and re-using plastic ware you already have.
• Napkins: cloth napkins, DIY napkins made from upcycled old sheets.