No Solid Waste Collections on Christmas Day
FREE Holiday Greens Recycling for
Seattle Residents December 26 – January 13

For immediate release: 12/14/07
For more information, Contact:
Seattle Public Utilities Customer Service (206) 684-3000

SEATTLE — No garbage, yard waste or recycling collections are scheduled in Seattle on Tuesday, December 25. Tuesday collections will occur on Wednesday, December 26. All other collections that week will be delayed by one day due to the Christmas holiday. Please be sure to have your containers available by 7 a.m., to ensure collection.

Closures: The City of Seattle’s North Recycling and Disposal Station in the Fremont/Wallingford area and the South Recycling and Disposal Station in the South Park area are also closed on Christmas Day. Both of the city’s recycling and disposal stations are normally open every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day.

Recycle your holiday greens! Seattle residents who subscribe to curbside yard and food waste collection can put their trees and greens out on their regular collection day at no extra charge from December 26, 2007 to January 13, 2008. Trees should be cut into sections of six feet long or shorter, with branches trimmed to less than four feet to fit into the collection trucks. Sections should be bundled with string or twine.

Trees that are flocked and/or have tinsel or ornaments will be collected as extra garbage. Customers will need to cut the tree into three-foot pieces and each piece will be charged as extra garbage. Each unit of extra garbage costs $5.60. Plastic trees are also not recyclable.

Seattle residents can also drop off their holiday trees and greens for free at Seattle Public Utilities’ North and South Recycling and Disposal stations between December 26, 2007 and January 13, 2008.

The tree sections must be cut to eight feet or less in length and the trunk must be four inches or smaller in diameter. The limit is three trees per vehicle. Only trees without flocking or decoration may be disposed of free of charge.

The North Recycling and Disposal Station is located at North 34th Street and Carr Place North. The South Recycling and Disposal Station is located at 2nd Avenue South and South Kenyon Street. The stations are open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Both of the city’s recycling and disposal stations are normally open every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Leftovers aren’t garbage anymore! Seattle yard waste customers can place their vegetative holiday leftovers, such as celery, yams, potatoes, pumpkin pie, fruitcake and napkins in their yard and food waste carts. The food scraps will be made into compost for local gardens and parks. Meat, bones and dairy products are not allowed in Seattle’s yard and food waste carts.

Keep sewers fat-free! To prevent grease from clogging your sewer pipe, DON’T dispose of cooking grease down the sink, toilet, or drain. Remember to place any liquids like grease or gravy in a sealed container before adding it to your regular garbage. This helps keep our sewers fat-free by properly disposing of grease. Grease clogs peak during the holiday season and are very costly to clean up. Turkey carcasses should also go in your regular garbage.

Give an experience instead of stuff! Reduce your garbage this holiday season through Waste Free Holidays. More than 100 local businesses and organizations will offer discounts of 15 percent or more on tickets, gift certificates or memberships for concerts, plays, sporting events, spa treatments, museums, restaurants and much, much more! Find details at wastefreeholidays.com

Customers can report a missed garbage, yard waste or recycling collection after 6 p.m. on the day it was missed by calling (206) 684-3000 or by visiting the On-line Missed Collection form available on SPU’s web site.

In addition to providing solid waste services in Seattle, SPU provides more than 1.3 million customers in the metropolitan area with a reliable water supply and provides essential sewer, drainage and engineering services that safeguard public health, maintain the City’s infrastructure and protect, conserve and enhance the region's environmental resources.

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Seattle Public Utilities