A reminder that Seattle Public Utilities is one day behind on its regular pickup schedule because of Monday’s snow.

So if your waste was scheduled for pickup today, it will be picked up on Thursday. Thursday customers will have their waste picked up on Friday. And Friday customers should put their waste out by 7 a.m. Saturday for pickup.

Seattle Public Utilities has resumed pickup of garbage, yard waste and recycling today, but on a revised schedule due to yesterday’s snow.

• Monday residential customers, north of I-90 will be collected today (Tuesday).
• Monday residential customers, south of I-90: Due to continued icy conditions, there is no residential garbage, recycling or food/yard waste pickup in these areas again today. Customers should put out materials on their next regularly scheduled pick up day (next Monday), as described below.
• Tuesday residential customers will be collected tomorrow (Wednesday), weather and road conditions permitting.
• Wednesday, Thursday and Friday services will all be delayed one day this week.

For Monday residential customers south of I-90 or other customers not serviced this week due to icy roads, please put containers out on your next regularly scheduled pickup day. Customers missed this week will be allowed to set out double their normal amount of garbage, recycling and yard waste at no additional charge, on their next scheduled collection day. Please use extra bags or boxes for the additional materials. For service updates, please check http://www.seattle.gov/util. Follow SPU on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SeattleSPU.

King County Metro Transit will run a Sunday/holiday schedule on Friday, Dec. 25, and Jan. 1. It’s also running a reduced weekday and “no UW” schedule this week and next. Be sure and check Metro’s service advisory page for route info.

Seattle Public Utilities will not pick up garbage, recycling and food yard waste on Christmas Day, and the South Transfer Station will be closed that day. All regular Friday collections will be collected on Saturday.

If you subscribe to food and yard waste collection, you can put out your Christmas tree and other holiday greens on your regular collection day at no extra charge, from Dec. 26 through Jan. 10. (Multifamily buildings can put out one tree next to each food and yard waste cart per collection day at no extra charge.) Trees need to be cut into sections of six feet long or shorter, and branches trimmed to less than four feet, and bundled with string or non-plastic twine. Remove all ornaments and tinsel.

Full details on holiday composting is here.

Seattle Public Utilities will not collect garbage, recycling or food and yard waste on Friday, Dec. 25, or Jan. 1. Those collections will occur the following day (Saturday).

If you subscribe to food and yard waste collection, you can put out your Christmas tree and other holiday greens on your regular collection day at no extra charge, from Dec. 26 through Jan. 10. (Multifamily buildings can put out one tree next to each food and yard waste cart per collection day at no extra charge.) Trees need to be cut into sections of six feet long or shorter, and branches trimmed to less than four feet, and bundled with string or non-plastic twine. Remove all ornaments and tinsel.

Also, since household waste increases by about 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day (adding up to one million extra tons of garbage a week nationwide), SPU has some tips to reduce waste:

1. Buy less food
Buy only what you need, if possible purchase local, in season, fresh items in smaller quantities.
2. Set up an area in your fridge for food that needs to be eaten soon
A designated box or shelf to put leftovers and food that needs to be eaten first is a good way to avoid wasting food.
3. Recycle your spent holiday lights
Do you have a pile of burned-out holiday lights? Are you replacing old holiday lights with energy-efficient LED (light-emitting diode) lights? Don’t throw out your holiday lights – recycle them! Holiday light recycling programs take your old light strands and recycle the copper wire inside them. Check online for locations.
4. Give green gifts
Avoid over-packaged gifts that need batteries or use lots of electricity. Consider crafting a gift or gifting a shared experience, like a visit to a museum or a zoo.
5. Buy well, buy once
Well-designed and constructed products that are repairable will last longer and usually save you money, even if they cost more initially.

And if you’re cleaning out your house now to make room for more stuff incoming, remember that you can even donate clothes that are ripped or stained through the Threadcycle network, which includes the Goodwill on 8th Avenue NW and NW 65th Street.

Here’s what happens to your donations:

• 45 percent is reused as clothing either in the U.S. or other countries
• 30 percent is converted into another item, such as a commercial wiping cloth
• 20 percent is reprocessed into fiber used in new products, such as insulation
• 5 percent is unable to be recycled, usually because it was wet, moldy, or contaminated with hazardous materials

Seattle Public Utilities will not pick up garbage, yard waste or recycling on New Year’s Day. The South Recycling and Disposal Station in the South Park area also will be closed (the North Station in Fremont/Wallingford remains closed for renovation). If your pickup day normally occurs on Thursday or Friday, your waste will be collected one day later this week.

Don’t forget that you can recycle your Christmas tree and holiday greens for free through Jan. 11 if you subscribe to food and yard waste collection.

Multi-family buildings can put out one tree next to each food and yard waste cart per collection day at no extra charge during this time.

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 non-plastic twine. Metal, plastic and ornaments in trees and wreaths must be removed.

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 $10.20. Plastic trees are not compostable.

Seattle residents can also drop off holiday trees and greens for free at Seattle Public Utilities’ South Recycling and Disposal station from Dec. 26, 2014 through Jan. 11, 2015. 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 and wreaths without flocking or decoration may be composted free of charge.

The South Recycling and Disposal Station is located at 130 S. Kenyon St. The station is open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m, other than selected holidays.

For information on where to dispose of household hazardous waste, including station locations and hours, contact www.HazWasteHelp.org or (206) 296-4692.

Seattle Public Utilities will not pick up garbage, recycling or yard waste on Wednesday, New Year’s Day. Customers with regularly scheduled waste pickup on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will have their waste collected one day later than usual. The city’s Recycling and Disposal Stations will be closed on Wednesday.

Remember, yard waste customers can put out their Christmas tree and holiday greens at no extra charge through Jan 12. (Multi-family buildings can put out one tree next to each food and yard waste cart per collection day at no extra charge.)

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 non-plastic twine. Metal, plastic and ornaments in trees and wreaths must be removed.

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 $10. Plastic trees are not compostable.

Seattle residents can also drop off holiday trees and greens for free at Seattle Public Utilities’ North and South Recycling and Disposal stations from Dec. 26, 2013 through Jan. 12, 2013. 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 and wreaths without flocking or decoration may be composted free of charge.

Regular residential food and yard waste collection rates resume on Monday, January 13, 2014. The fee for extra yard waste is $4.75 per unit.

Seattle Public Utilities has lots of friendly reminders about how to dispose of garbage, recycling and yard waste this time of year.

1. There’s no solid waste collection on Christmas Day. Customers whose normal pickup days are Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, will have their waste collected one day later than normal next week. The city’s Recycling and Disposal stations will be closed on Christmas Day as well.
2. Customers who subscribe to yard waste pickup can put out their Christmas tree and other greens for no extra charge from Dec. 26 through Jan. 12. (Multi-family buildings can put out one tree next to each food and yard waste cart per collection day at no extra charge.) Trees should be cut into sections no longer than six feet, with branches trimmed to less than four feet. Sections should be bundled with string or non-plastic twine. Metal, plastic and ornaments must be removed. Trees with flocking, tinsel or ornaments will be collected as extra garbage. (Those trees need to be cut into three-foot pieces and each piece will be charged as extra garbage. Each unit of extra garbage costs $10.20.) Regular residential food and yard waste collection rates resume on Monday, Jan. 13; the fee for extra yard waste is $4.90 per unit.
3. Customers can drop off holiday trees and greens for free at Seattle Public Utilities’ North and South Recycling and Disposal stations from Dec. 26 through Jan. 12. Tree sections must be eight feet or less in length and the trunk must be four inches or smaller in diameter. Limit of three trees per vehicle. The North Recycling and Disposal Station is at 1350 N. 34th St. It’s open daily from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., except holidays.
4. Household hazardous waste: Fluorescent bulbs and tubes, Ni-Cad and Lithium rechargeable and other batteries can be disposed of for free at Seattle’s Household Hazardous waste stations. The nearest one to our neighborhood is at 12550 Stone Ave. N. (one block east of Aurora Avenue). Incandescent light bulbs, regular Christmas lights and alkaline batteries (such as AA, AAA, C and D) can go in the garbage, however, some places will recycle them.
5. You can always put out extra recycling for free. Put it in sturdy boxes or 32-gallon cans next to your recycling cart on your regular collection day.
6. Recycling do’s and don’ts:

• Styrofoam packaging can’t be recycled. Many local mail houses accept packing peanuts for reuse; Styro Recycle in Renton will accept styrofoam for recycling. Otherwise, Styrofoam and packing peanuts go in the garbage (but put peanuts in a bag first so they don’t scatter).
• Flattened cardboard goes in your recycling cart. If it doesn’t fit, put it next to your cart.
• Ribbons and bows go in the garbage.
• Gift wrap goes in the recycling. (Don’t burn it; it’s toxic.)
• Greeting cards, catalogs and envelopes go in the recycling bin, even if they have plastic windows or staples.
• Electronics can’t be recycled or put in the garbage because they contain hazardous materials. Go to www.ecyclewashington.org or www.takeitbacknetwork.org for locations to drop off your old TVs, monitors and computers.

If you’re not sure what can be recycled or where to do it, you can look it up on this website.

Seattle Public Utilities will pick up garbage, yard waste and recycling on Monday like usual, despite the Labor Day holiday. SPU customers should put out their cans by 7 a.m.

The North and South Recycling and Disposal stations will be open during regular business hours of 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The North Recycling and Disposal Station is located at 1350 N. 34th St. in Fremont/Wallingford.

Waste Management is looking for eight non-profits in Greenwood, Crown Hill and North Ballard who could use $5,000 each. The money comes from Waste Management’s neighborhood competition to reduce waste. The Wednesday North area won the Think Green Recycling Challenge, beating out nine other neighborhoods.

Last fall, the Phinney Neighborhood Association (PNA) agreed to be the community partner with WM and will be facilitating the grant process, which will award eight grants of $5,000 each. Any nonprofit or community group with a nonprofit fiscal sponsor in the Greenwood/Crown Hill neighborhood is eligible to apply. Applications are available online at www.phinneycenter.org.

Because this program is about building community as much as it is about waste reduction, grants are intended to support groups that are already doing great work in the community and do not have to focus on recycling or waste reduction.

And since this is the community’s grant, all of the applying organizations will help make the decision on the grants as part of the selection process.

The deadline to apply is Sept. 16, 2013. For additional information, contact Ann Bowden at ann@phinneycenter.org.