Manteca is changing its garbage collection for this week and the week of Dec. 28.

Those who have garbage collection normally on Friday will not have it on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day. Instead the collection will be a day later on Saturday, Dec. 26, and Saturday, Jan. 2. All other collection days will not change.

*CHRISTMAS TREE PICK UP: Christmas trees will be picked up for no charge starting Monday, Dec. 28, through Friday, Jan. 12, on your normal trash collection day.

All trees must be un-bagged and free of ornaments, lights, and stands. Trees that are left out after Jan. 15 will be subject to a collection fee. Flocked trees are fine. The trees are taken to Harvest Power in Lathrop where they are chipped into compost.

*GIFT WRAPPING & SUCH: Gift wrapping is no longer recyclable and must go in the brown cart with the rest of your garbage. Also, ribbon cannot be recycled. The city is asking that all cardboard boxes be broken down before they are placed in blue carts or put out for recycling. Whole boxes are difficult to pack into trucks.

*LEAF COLLECTION: The City of Manteca Solid Waste Division leaf collection is now underway through mid-January

The city’s leaf crew will be collecting the leaves on the day before regular street sweeping days, which occur every other week in residential areas.  

All other garden trimmings such as grass clippings and tree prunings are not included in the leaf collection program. Place these items in the yard waste collection bin (green cart) or compost them in your backyard.

Leaves can be put in green carts but not leaves inside plastic bag. Leaves are sent to a compost operation. Plastic does not compost. If you have too many leaves and need to make a pile, do so in the street a foot from the gutter. Do not put plastic bags of leaves out at curbside as they will not be picked up.