The City of Charlotte Solid Waste Services will collect garbage, recyclables, yard waste and bulky waste on Saint Patrick's Day, March 17.

Residents are reminded of the following tips to ensure collection:

• Bag all garbage before placing it in the rollout cart. Do not overfill the cart.
• Remove food/liquid residue and lids from all recyclable containers before placing them in the recycling cart. Do not bag recyclables.
• Trimmings from shrubs and trees must be no longer than five feet in length and no larger than four inches in diameter.
• Place leaves in untied plastic bags or uncovered trash cans (not City-issued rollout carts).
• Place collection materials curbside by 6:30 am on collection day. Rollout carts must be removed from curbside by midnight the same day.
• Place collection items within six feet of the curb. Please do not block the sidewalk.

Call 311 (704.336.7600) or visit http://curbit.charlottenc.gov to schedule bulky waste collection.

Did you know you should bag garbage before placing in your garbage cart - this includes napkins, cups or loose trash that you quickly dispose of from your car? Yes, all garbage should be bagged before placing in your cart for curbside collection service.

Why should you bag your garbage? Loose or unbagged garbage can litter your street and neighborhood and make your living area not attractive. Garbage produces leachate, commonly known as garbage juice. To minimize garbage juice, especially when disposing of food waste, drain excess liquids to avoid possible pooling at the bottom of your rollout cart.

If garbage is unbagged, this smelly liquid can remain in your cart or potentially leak onto your street during collection. Wash out your cart to reduce the smell or turn your cart over to drain all liquids from the container before placing anything else into it.  

By bagging your garbage, you help keep your neighborhood free of litter and beautiful!