City offices, including the Clay Madsen Recreation Center, Municipal Court, Baca Center and Utility Billing Office will be closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 27-28, for the Thanksgiving holiday. Utility bills and court-related fines can be paid online.

The Round Rock Public Library is closed for the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, Nov. 27 and Friday, Nov. 28. It will resume regular hours at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 29.

Trash and Recycling

There will be no trash or recycling collection on Thanksgiving Day. Residential pickup will shift from Thursday to Friday, and from Friday to Saturday for this week.

Recycling Tips

• Detach unlike materials. Separate metal lids from glass jars, plastic liners from cereal boxes, etc. Although recyclable, the recycling process is different for each material, and when attached, the materials cannot be separated at the recycling facility.
• No broken glass. Broken glass jams equipment and mixes with other materials, resulting in recyclables being categorized as contaminated and sent to the landfill.
• Remove food, sauces and juices. Rinse aluminum, plastic, and glass. It helps prevent contamination and odors and is less likely to attract bugs to your cart.
• Crush cans and plastic bottles and flatten boxes to save space. Do not break glass, as it jams equipment.

While recycling is the right thing to do, if it isn’t done right, it can do more harm than good. Misplaced items mix with other materials, resulting in recyclables being categorized as contaminated and sent to the landfill.

Don’t Throw Grease Down the Drain

Here’s another important Thanksgiving reminder for you: When fats, oils and grease go down the drain, it hardens and causes sewer pipes to clog. That means a higher risk of a sewer backup that causes raw sewage to overflow into your home, yard, neighborhood and streets.

Do not pour grease down the drain or use your garbage disposal for grease and oily food scraps — even if you’re using hot water and dish detergents, it won’t prevent buildup from these cooking leftovers.

Here are some simple steps to avoid wreaking havoc on your pipes this holiday season:

• Collect grease in a container and dispose of it in the trash.
• Scrape excess grease and food scraps into the trash.
• Keep strainers in your drain to catch food scraps and solids.
• Use cat litter to absorb oil. Mix litter and oil, pour into bag and seal, then place it in the trash.