What can I put in my trash tote?

Everyday household trash, bagged, inside the tote, lid closed. That covers kitchen waste, food scraps, packaging that cannot be recycled, pet waste, diapers, broken household items and empty aerosol cans.

The three rules that matter:

• Everything goes in bagged. Loose trash in the tote blows around when the tote is tipped and ends up on your street.
• The lid has to close. Anything that does not fit inside with the lid down counts as extra, and extra has to be called in before pickup day: $5 a kitchen bag, $10 a contractor bag.
• Keep the weight sensible. The truck arm has a limit. A tote packed with wet plaster, soil, tile or concrete will not lift, and that material is construction waste, which belongs in a dumpster.

What does not go in, no matter how small: electronics, batteries of any kind, propane tanks, paint, chemicals, fluorescent bulbs, tires, appliances, medical waste and anything under pressure. Most of that goes to a household hazardous waste day instead. Batteries in particular start fires in the truck and at the sorting facility, and those fires are the single most dangerous thing in this industry.

The full breakdown, tote by tote, is on what goes in your totes.