As the holiday season approaches, the City of Sioux Falls is sharing helpful tips and timely reminders for residents to make the most out of this season with safety, community and sustainability in mind.
1. Make spirits bright, not burnt. Cook safely this holiday season.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, Thanksgiving Day is the peak day for cooking fires, with Christmas Day and Christmas Eve ranked as the second and third-leading days of the year.
While cooking your holiday meals, keep these safety tips in mind:
Deep-frying a turkey is a popular and delicious way to cook your bird but can be potentially dangerous. Follow these safety tips:
2. Egg nogg, not FOG, can go down the drain.
On that note, remember not to put fat, oil, or grease (FOG) down the drain during clean up. While it may seem convenient to pour them into your drain after cooking, it’s not a good idea. FOG can block your pipes, which can cause sewer backups into your property. Backups cause damage and potential environmental and health hazards and lead to expensive repairs. Instead, protect your plumbing by putting FOG in the trash after it has cooled.
3. Forget neckties, give the gift of an experience.
A Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation gift card makes a great gift for any age. Gift cards can be used to cover the cost of annual passes, swim passes, swimming lessons, admission to the Jacobson Plaza Skate Ribbon, Westside Recreation Center and Midco Aquatic Center, as well as registration fees for a variety of programming throughout the year. Gift cards are available to purchase at City Center (231 N. Dakota Ave.), Midco Aquatic Center (1601 S. Western Ave.), Westside Recreation Center (8701 W. 32nd St.) and Jacobson Plaza (810 N. Phillips Ave.).
4. Review the list, check it twice, make sure you recycle nice right.
Cardboard packaging, wrapping paper, paper gift boxes, greeting cards and paper envelopes can be recycled if they do not contain glitter, foil, metallic elements or plastic coatings. Be sure to remove all bows and ribbons.
Empty metal holiday cookie tins, gravy jars, broth cartons, yam cans, pie tins and aluminum foil are all accepted in your recycling bin. Remember to place items loose in the bin, and do not bag your recyclables. Do not put plastic bags, packaging film, bubble wrap or Styrofoam in your recycling bin. For more information on what items are accepted for recycling, visit siouxfalls.gov/recycle.
5. Yule be doing good by recycling your (real) tree after the holidays.
The City will open two Christmas tree recycling drop sites from Friday, Dec. 26, to Sunday, Jan. 4. Hours for both sites will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
The service is free and available to residents of Sioux Falls and the five-county region served by the Sioux Falls Regional Landfill: Lincoln, Lake, McCook, Minnehaha and Turner counties.
1015 E Chambers St., just off north Cliff Ave.
200 Lyons Blvd., south of the Fairgrounds near west 12th St.
Artificial, flocked or fake trees, plastic bags, stumps, rubble and household garbage are not accepted at the drop sites. All lights, ornaments, decorations and stands must be removed before dropping off trees. The drop sites are not open to businesses, farms, nonprofits, churches, schools or institutions.
The Household Hazardous Waste Facility is open Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located at 1015 E. Chambers St. Like the tree drop sites, it is free for residents of Sioux Falls and Lake, Lincoln, McCook, Minnehaha and Turner counties. Materials from non-residential properties such as businesses, farms, nonprofits, churches, schools or institutions are not accepted at the facility.
With the holidays comes winter, which inevitably means snow. Make signing up for snow alerts fun for the whole family. Text ‘SNOWALERT’ to 888-777 to receive notifications directly to your phone when the City issues a snow alert. Learn more about the City’s snow clearing operations at siouxfalls.gov/snow.