City Offers Helpful Hints for Tree & Lights Disposal, Holiday Recycling, Excess Trash

CITY OFFERING HELPFUL HINTS FOR TREE & LIGHTS DISPOSAL, HOLIDAY RECYCLING, EXCESS TRASH

Solid Waste collected nearly 50 tons of trees & greenery after last Christmas season

RAPID CITY, SD—After next Wednesday, the hustle and bustle of Christmas will begin to settle and attention pivots from trinkets and treasures to what to do with all the extra cardboard, wrapping paper and trash, not to mention what to do with the tree, and the string of lights that failed to light this season.

            The City's Solid Waste Division is providing helpful advice for holiday trash and recycling collection along with important information about disposal of holiday trees and non-working lights.

             “Each year about this time we reach out to provide some helpful hints – a few do’s and don’ts - for the holiday season when it comes to proper disposal of the Christmas tree, all the cardboard and wrapping paper,” said Ria Hannon of the City’s Solid Waste Division.  “It’s important to set aside a few moments for planning on what should go in the trash, how much should go into the containers, and also to use our remote sites for disposing of many items.”

             Hannon also encourages the public to utilize reusable items.

             “We also encourage the public to choose reusable items like gift bags instead of wrapping paper.”

TREE DISPOSAL:

**Beginning Thursday, December 26, natural trees, wreaths and garland can be taken to the remote sites for disposal and should be cleaned of ornamentation, tree stands, and not be placed in plastic bags. No yard waste allowed at the tree disposal sites.

           After the Christmas holiday season last year, the Solid Waste Division collected a record 49.92 tons – nearly 50 tons – of Christmas trees, wreaths and assorted greenery from the City’s two remote disposal sites at Floyd Fitzgerald Stadium and West Boulevard North, and the Rapid City Landfill.  The total was an incredible spike over the 27 tons of greenery material collected after the 2022 holiday season and the 28.79 tons of material collected after the 2021 holiday season.

            The tree disposal program is available through January 31.

WRAPPING PAPER DISPOSAL:

**Items such as wrapping paper, packing items, cellophane, ribbons, bows, artificial decorations along with colored/shiny cardboard items should be placed in the regular trash containers. 

HAYSTACKING & TYING GARBAGE:

**Homeowners are routinely advised to bag and tie their garbage and it’s especially important during the holiday season. Solid Waste officials advise the public to avoid ‘hay stacking’ -- piling up or overflowing the trash in their containers.  As alternatives, the public can place some of the trash items in the following week’s collection or bring excess garbage to the landfill.

CARDBOARD:

**Cardboard cannot be placed inside of the recycling containers.

**Do not place cardboard boxes or excess trash next to the household trash and recycling containers. Trash collection drivers will not stop and pick up the excess trash.

**Cardboard items can also be taken to the remote disposal sites at Fitzgerald Stadium and West Boulevard North or to the Landfill.

DUMPING TRASH:

**The remote disposal sites at Fitzgerald Stadium and West Boulevard North are only for recycled and cardboard items and not for dumping trash and other discarded household items. Solid Waste officials advise the public to take other items to the Landfill. Also if remote site recycle and cardboard containers are full, do not place the items on the ground. Take the items to the landfill.

NON-WORKING LIGHTS/EXTENSION CORDS:

The annual Christmas Lights Recycling Program continues through January 31 this season. The City’s Solid Waste Division has expanded the program this year to include collection of non-working extension cords as well as strings of non-working holiday lights.

The items can be dropped off this year at any of 14 locations. 

            *Ace Hardware (3): 1602 E. St. Patrick Street, 1724 W. Main Street and 320 West Boulevard

            *Boyd's Drug Stores (2): Baken Park (entrance on pharmacy side) and at 909 E. St. Patrick Street

            *City Hall: 300 Sixth Street

             *Rapid City Public Library, 610 Quincy Street

            *Runnings, 1020 N. Lacrosse Street

            *South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (Surbeck Center)

            *Fleet Farm, 1001 E. Mall Drive

            *Education Center at Landfill: 5165 S. Highway 79

            *RC Hardware: 770 Mountain View Road

            *Rapid City ReStore: 610 E. Omaha Street

            *Menards: 710 N. Creek Drive

            The bins will be located at these locations until January 31.