Holiday Collection Tips
Published on December 18, 2025
As families around the Queen City prepare for the holidays, Solid Waste Services would like to offer some reminders and helpful tips.
Collection Schedule
There will be no collection of garbage, recycling, yard waste or bulky waste on Thursday, Dec. 25. Thursday customers will receive service on Friday, Dec. 26, and Friday customers will receive service on Saturday, Dec. 27.
There will be no change to the collection schedule the week of New Year’s. Residents should have their carts at the curb by 6 a.m. on their regular collection days.
Safety
With kids home from school and relatives in town, neighborhoods can be busier than usual. Collection trucks still need to navigate easily and safely, so please be mindful of where vehicles are parked. Park in garages and driveways if there is space. If street parking is necessary (and allowed in your neighborhood), make sure to park as close to the curb as possible. It may be impossible to collect materials if a driver can’t safely travel between cars parked on the street.
You should also allow ample space, at least three feet, between collection carts and obstacles like mailboxes and vehicles. Drivers need enough room to travel up and down streets and pick up carts with the automatic arm without interference from nearby obstacles. If you’re outside when a truck goes by, feel free to give the driver a friendly wave, but please stay at least 50 feet away.
Many crews work on foot near traffic. You can keep city employees, yourself and others safe by driving carefully and staying free of distractions. Help make sure everyone gets to go home for the holidays!
Trees and Wreaths
No one wants to see their tree go after Christmas, but we’ll make the process easier for you! Natural trees can be placed at the curb for collection beginning Monday, Jan. 5. Remove all lights, tinsel and ornaments before bringing it outside. Check all the branches to ensure you’re not accidentally throwing away any cherished decorations.
If you have an artificial tree that you’re looking to throw out, those need to be scheduled for bulky collection. You can schedule online, via the CLT+ app or by calling 311 or 704-336-7600. Just like a natural tree, it should be free of decorations before it is placed at the curb.
Wreaths must also be scheduled for bulky collection, whether they are artificial or natural. Wiring is present in all wreaths, which puts them in the bulky item category and makes them ineligible for normal garbage or yard waste collection.
Cardboard Disposal
It’s that time of year when deliveries arrive more frequently and cardboard boxes begin to stack up. Make sure you’re preparing cardboard properly so it can be collected.
- Cardboard belongs in the recycling cart.
- It must be broken down into smaller pieces that will fit loosely in your recycling cart.
- The easiest way is to cut or tear the boxes.
- Folded cardboard often gets wedged in the cart, preventing it from completely emptying.
- Cardboard will not be collected if it is sitting outside the cart.
- If you have cardboard that will not fit inside your cart, you can take it to one of Mecklenburg County’s full-service facilities.
Breaking down your boxes into smaller pieces that fit inside your recycling cart also helps keep more expensive purchases a secret. You don’t want to advertise your brand-new TV by leaving the empty box on the curb.
While cardboard belongs in the recycling cart, materials like Styrofoam and packing peanuts do not. They cannot be recycled and should be with other bagged trash in your garbage cart. If you're unsure about what can and cannot be recycled, view our recent video on Instagram.
Pro Tip: Instead of throwing away gift boxes, ribbons, bows and ornamental bags, you can save those to reuse next year.
Thank you for taking extra care with your collection this holiday season. You can find detailed collection procedures, recycling schedules and more online from Solid Waste Services.