City of Charlotte Solid Waste Services garbage truck.
City of Charlotte Solid Waste Services will not collect garbage, recycling, yard waste and bulky items on Thursday, November 23, 2017. Solid Waste Services will operate on a one-day delay beginning on Friday, November 24, 2017 with Friday customers receiving service on Saturday, November 25, 2017. The collection color the week of Thanksgiving is green.
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 6:30 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.
10 Tips on How to Have a Waste Free Holiday
Thankgiving food waste tips courtesy of Dietetic Directions. Photo courtesy of Gabriel Gael Marengo.
- Check the refrigerator before shopping. Why spend more money than necessary? Stop yourself from overspending by checking your refrigerator and cabinets before going shopping to see what what's really needed.
- Plan your meals ahead of time. Planning your meal in advance helps you shop better and portion your meals correctly. Not planning meals could lead to impulse buying, which could create unnecessary waste. When you have your plan, write out a grocery list before hitting those grocery aisles.
- Avoid buying in bulk. Research supports that the larger the portions we buy, the more we consume and likely waste.
- Estimate guests' consumption. Cook with a clear estimate for how much people will realistically consume.
- Know how long food lasts and store properly. Thanksgiving leftovers are guaranteed. Therefore, it is important to know how long foods will last in the fridge or freezer. For example, turkey can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days; frozen for 4-6 months.
- Ask guests to bring something. To prevent excess waste, be clear on what foods guests can bring. You might be in need of dessert or perhaps an extra salad or vegetable dish. If you are planning on having a 5 course meal prepared, you might simply ask your guests to just bring storage containers for leftovers! Communicating what you need (or don’t need) will help reduce the excess.
- Get creative with leftovers. Leftover meats can be shredded, frozen and then incorporated into casseroles, quesadillas, wraps, soups, or on top of salads. Leftover fruits can be added to smoothies or popsicles; overripe bananas or sweet potatoes can be used in baking (banana bread/muffins). Extra veggies can be added to make sauces, soup, stews that can be frozen. Leftover bread can be used to make breadcrumbs, French toast, or croutons.
- Compost food waste. Excluding bones, dairy and oils foods can be composted instead of tossing into the regular garbage. This helps return valuable nutrients to the soil and reduces landfill waste.
- Use smaller plates. To control the amount people serve themselves, use smaller plates (8-10”) and use smaller serving utensils – this will subtly decrease amounts that people serve themselves.
- Donate extras. Extra canned goods can be donated to local food banks.
Get Your Free Paper Lawn Bags
Get your free paper yard waste bags from serveral different locations around the city. Visit http://meckyardbags.com for more information.
Paper lawn bags are large brown paper bags used for yard waste. If you do a lot of yard work or looking for an alternative to plastic bags. Here are three reasons why you should start using paper lawn bags.
- Paper lawn bags eliminate plastic from collection. When your yard waste is picked up, it has to first be debagged. Sometimes particles from the plastic bag get mixed in with the yard waste. Not all of the plastic particles can be removed from the yard waste, which reduces the value and quality of the finished compost.
- Paper lawn bags are compostable and improve the environment. Paper lawn bags are extremely environmentally friendly. Paper lawn bags saves natural resources, reduce soil erosion, prevent polluted storm water runoff into lakes, and streams and provide a valuable compost product that can be used to enrich the soils of our community.
- Collection happens faster at your home. When paper lawn bags are used, the debagging process is eliminated. This means that yard waste can be collected quickly and easily.
Overall, paper lawn bags are great! They help the environment and improve the collection process. For a limited time, Mecklenburg County is giving away free paper lawn bags to residents. Click here if you would like more information on how and where to get your own.
