MINOT, ND (KXNET) — The City of Minot will be providing a trash-free holiday to residents, and will soon offer free trash disposal to its members at the city's landfill near Trinity Health Hospital. The program, which was started back in 2017, runs from December 23rd to January 4th, and is meant to help folks dispose of extra household waste that accumulates during the holidays. Landfill Foreman for the City of Minot, Josh Kraft, says it is meant to be an easy process — but he also stresses the importance of separating waste from recyclables. "When they come out, it's a super convenient easy process at the landfill," Kraft states. "They can let the scale attendant know what they have if they separate it we have two spots right up by the scale they don't have to go further into the landfill the recycling will go in one container and the waste will go in the other container." Kraft says that during the winter (and holidays in particular), there often is an increase in the amount of cardboard that comes to the landfill. To this end, Minot residents should try to break cardboard down as much as possible, so the trucks have an easier job of disposing of it. "If you have a box that's too big, if you simply cut it up into pieces that are just smaller than what the cart is and lay them flat in there," Kraft continues. "People would be surprised how much cardboard you can fit in there, and it gets layered in between the materials you have. It really makes for an easy convenient process for the trucks to dump it, so your cart gets emptied and we don't have things that get stuck." One arrested after assault on ND Highway Patrol trooper City of Minot Sanitation also has composting sites at Oak Park, as well as Site Number 7 located along 16th Avenue and 16th Street Southwest. The latter of which is open to folks looking to get rid of their Christmas trees. "If they just want to get rid of it, they can haul it off to one of those two sites and drop it off," Kraft adds. "We just ask that we just ask whether it's on the curb or roll-off tank, they remove all the lights, and the base, and the bags, and the ornaments, because those trees are shredded." While city sanitation does deal with hundreds of Christmas Trees, the number has continued to drop over the last five years. "We see on average of about 3 to 4 hundred 350 to 4 hundred a year, and that's probably going down a little bit maybe from the last five-year average," Kraft states. However, Kraft concludes by noting that the most important thing people can do is dispose of waste properly, and never litter. "We certainly don't want anyone to have the mindset of disposing of waste improperly, so if there are any questions anyone has, they can give our public works a call," he concludes. The City of Minot Landfill will be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day, but will resume normal operation hours on the 2nd. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Today's Top Stories SIGN UP NOW