The City of Charlotte Solid Waste Services will collect garbage, recyclables, yard waste and bulky waste on Presidents Day, Monday, February 15.

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 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.

Greeting cards, gift boxes, and chocolate candy wrappers usually head to the garbage can after Valentine's Day - but they shouldn't! Did you know there are ways to use these things (and others) to keep them from going to the landfill? Before you head to the garbage can, consider the following:

• Greeting cards - Reuse or re-gift the cards and when they are done, recycle them.
• Gift boxes, tissue and wrapping paper - Reuse all for other gifts. Recycle the boxes and the gift wrap (except foil gift wrap which needs to be thrown in the garbage).
• Packing boxes and bubble wrap - Reuse the boxes and bubble wrap; once finished, recycle the boxes. The bubble wrap is garbage after its reuse.
• Boxes of chocolate and candy wrappers - Upcycle the boxes; turn them into organizers for jewelry, hair bows, safety pins, etc. Place all candy wrappers in the garbage.
• Flower vases - Reuse or re-gift the vases until they're ready to be recycled.