Starting Saturday, December 26, drop-off sites will be available for all Louisville/Jefferson County residents at four locations. The Hubbards Lane site will also instantly recycle Christmas trees into mulch that will be offered back to citizens for home use. Those wishing to receive mulch must bring an appropriate container in which to carry it. All lights and ornaments should be removed from trees before they are dropped off or set out for collection. Christmas tree vendors may recycle their unsold trees on Saturday, December 26 only, and only at the Hubbards Lane site.

HOURS & LOCATIONS

Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Waste Reduction Center closes at 3 p.m. on Saturdays)

December 26 - January 30

All locations will close at 1 p.m. on Thursday, December 31 and will be closed Friday, January 1 and Saturday, January 16. 

• East District Recycling Center, 595 N. Hubbards Lane
• Public Works Yard, 10500 Lower River Road (enter from Bethany Lane)
• Waste Reduction Center, 636 Meriwether Avenue 

Metro Public Works will also provide curbside pickup of Christmas trees within the Urban Services District (the old City of Louisville boundaries) after the holiday. Residents with City curbside yard waste pickup may set their Christmas trees and greenery out on their regular collection day. Trees must not be in plastic bags, and all decorations must be removed. 

Residents normally serviced by private waste haulers should check with those companies to see whether and when tree pickup is available.

Sun Valley Ladies Golf League accepting membership payments.  Ten Saturday morning teetimes 4/3 – 9/25 (8:00 a.m, - 9:03 a.m.) Teams of two playing 18 holes (hole by hole scoring). Signup with a partner or request a partner. Checks payable to Sun Valley Ladies Golf League. 

       $59.00  - includes World Golf Handicap System fee of $24.00.

       $35.00 – paying WGHS fee elsewhere for the 2021 golf season.

League will be full when 40 membership payments have been received.  Others may join to sub during absences of regular league players and establish eligibility to compete in the Jefferson County Ladies Golf Tournament to be held at Seneca Golf Course.

Mail completed membership form and check or pay in person at Sun Valley Golf Course 6505 Bethany Lane, Louisville, Ky. 

Send questions to grantsunvalley@gmail.com.

Online shopping means we have a lot of extra waste at home. From bubble wrap to cardboard to padded envelopes and air pillows, the list goes on. The best thing to do is reuse the items - refill the boxes, pack fragile items with bubble wrap or air pillows, mail something else in the envelopes, or use items for craft projects. (Or you can always donate to someone else to reuse.) But if you find yourself needing to dispose of them, here's some useful information:

Cardboard Boxes

Please recycle your cardboard! Flatten the boxes to conserve space in your own recycling bin or in our recycling dumpsters around town. Don't put them out for Large Item Collection ("junk") because they won't get recycled. 

Bubble Wrap, Air Pillows

These can be recycled with plastic bags at participating retail stores. Keep them out of your home recycling containers and drop-off recycling dumpsters. 

Padded Envelopes

To know what to do with these, you have to know what they're made of. Some envelopes have paper surrounding bubble wrap. These cannot be recycled since they are made of a mix of materials. Some are all plastic and can go with the bubble wrap (see above). If the padding is made of all paper, the envelope can go in your home recycling containers or drop-off recycling dumpsters. 

Styrofoam

Large blocks of Styrofoam can be recycled at Foam Fabricators, 950 Progress Blvd, New Albany, IN. They must be clean and free of tape and stickers. They do not accept any other form of Styrofoam. And Styrofoam is NOT accepted in curbside recycling or drop-off recycling dumpsters. 

And if you do any in-person shopping, be sure to BYOB - bring your own bag!

1. Don’t fall for the 5G scam! Scammers pretend to be your cell phone service provider, saying you need to pay $500 to upgrade to the new 5G standard, or you will lose your service. In reality, you need a 5G-compatible phone to use the service, but there's currently no requirement to switch to 5G.
2. Did you receive a random email, text, or social media message that includes Zoom’s logo and a message saying you, “missed a meeting, click here to see the details and reschedule?” It could be a scam. Don’t click on the link. It could download malware on your computer or lead you to a page where you are prompted to fill out personal information.
3. By the time you read this, there may or may not be word of a new economic stimulus payment. Whether there is or not, beware of a fake IRS email asking for your bank account details so they can send money to you. That's not how the IRS operates. They'll either have your bank details already from previous filings or send you a check.
4. There’s a new version of the "hitman" scam, which demands protection money from targets to avoid being injured or killed. Scammers are sending victims – by text or email - information about them and family members, which has actually been gathered from online records. They may also add personal "victim" photos. The scammer wants payment via wire, gift cards, or cyber currency.
5. Chase customers - beware of a sneaky phishing trick masquerading as a notification from Chase about new authentication procedures. It looks like the real thing, but a "Get started" link is a dead giveaway. If you click the link, you’ll be taken to a fake sign-on page. Banks simply don't send security emails like this.
6. While the Facebook “Secret Sister Gift Exchange” may sound like fun, this is actually illegal! This is a modernized version of a chain letter, simply buy one $10 gift, add your name to a list, and receive up to 36 gifts in the mail. Don’t fall for it!
7. Watch out for fake shipping emails from “UPS” and “FedEx” saying your package was not delivered. If you click on these links, you could be giving away personal information to a scammer or downloading a computer virus!
8. Local holiday events, like popup holiday markets and craft fairs are moving online due to the pandemic. You search online to find the event, but scammers are creating phony copycat events that charge admission and steal your credit card information. Don’t fall for it!
9. Apple's App Store and Google Play list dozens of holiday-themed apps. Children can video chat live with Santa himself, light the menorah, watch Santa feed live reindeer, track his sleigh on Christmas Eve, or relay their Christmas wish-lists. Before allowing a child to download any app, be sure what data its collecting and set permission requirements. 
10. Don’t fall for holiday hot toy scams! They are sold out at every store, but a quick online search takes you to a page that miraculously has the toy in stock. The site may look professional and may even offer the product at discounted prices, claiming a “last-minute deal” or “flash sale.” Unfortunately, it could be fake and your credit card could be compromised.

The holiday season is upon us…and so are the holiday scams. Better Business Bureau® serving Louisville, Southern Indiana and Western Kentucky is sharing the common scams of the holidays, and how you can spot them and protect yourself!

Online Shopping

‘Tis the season for holiday shopping, but more of the shopping will be online this year due to COVID. BBB is warning online shoppers to “shop safe, shop smart!” Online purchase scams ranked among the top three riskiest scams for the last three years, according to the 2019 BBB Scam Tracker Risk Report published in March 2020, shortly after COVID-19 shut down much of the economy. BBB recommends you research the company before you buy (go to bbb.org); beware of fake websites; be careful purchasing the “hot product” of the year online, that is hard to find anywhere else; make sure you are purchasing on a secure website (look for the “https” in the URL); and if a deal looks “too-good-to-be-true,” it probably is!

“Must-have” Toys

Every year, there’s always a few “must-have” toys on most kids’ holiday wish lists. The toy sells out fast, and becomes expensive and hard to find. Scammers use the toy’s popularity to trick parents out of money when they search for the toys online. The site may look professional and have original images of the product. It may even offer the product at discounted prices, claiming a “last-minute deal” or “flash sale.” Unfortunately, many such offers are fake. Buyers think they are ordering a high-quality, animatronic toy. Instead, they received a cheap counterfeit version. The best way to avoid getting scammed when purchasing toys is to buy them directly from a seller you know and trust.

Shopping Social Media Ads

BBB Scam Tracker has received thousands of complaints about misleading Facebook and Instagram ads. Some of the products that are advertised claim to support a charity. Other ads offer “Free Trials” to try the latest and greatest new skin care or nutritional supplement. Other ads tout brand name goods but are actually counterfeit merchandise. These products end up being of poor quality, if you ever actually receive the product you ordered. BBB recommends you research the business before you make a purchase. Check out the company at bbb.org and do a Google search to see what people are saying about it.

Gift cards

Before you purchase a gift card for a present, be sure to examine the card first to make sure it hasn’t been tampered with. If you are buying it from a website, make sure it is a reputable site. Be wary of third-party sites that offer extreme discounts on gift cards. Scam artists may write down gift card codes and drain the card before you have a chance to use it.

Pop-up holiday markets/events

With the pandemic, many local in-person events, such as popup holiday markets or craft fairs, have moved online. Scammers are creating fake event pages, social media posts, and emails, charging for admission for what used to be a free event. The goal is to steal your credit card information. If the event is unfamiliar to you, research the host and list of vendors ahead of time.

“Secret Sister” gift exchange

The “Secret Sister” gift exchange became popular several years ago through Facebook posts, promising participants would receive up to 36 gifts, in exchange for sending one gift. Each holiday season, the scheme pops back up. A newer version of this scam revolves around exchanging bottles of wine; another suggests purchasing $10 gifts online. The scheme starts with an invitation via email or on social media to sign up. Just provide your name, address, and personal information of a few additional friends. Tack this information on to a list that’s already started of people you’ve never met on the internet. Next, it’s your turn to send an email or social media invitation to send a modest gift or bottle of wine to a stranger along with their friends, family and contacts. The cycle continues, in hopes that the favor is reciprocated. Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen. It’s a pyramid scheme. It relies on the recruitment of individuals to keep the scam afloat. Once people stop participating in the gift exchange, the gift supply stops and leaves hundreds of disappointed people without their promised gifts or cash. It is also illegal to take part in pyramid schemes in the US.

Holiday job scams

Retailers and shippers traditionally hire seasonal workers to fulfill the demands of holiday shoppers whether they are online or in person. But, some of these job offers seem “too-good-to-be-true.” BBB warns, employers will never ask for payment upfront for a job. Also, be wary of any job offer that doesn’t require an interview. If the company is offering big money for what seems to be a small job, for example, “reshipping packages,” it is likely a scam! Scammers often ask you to fill out job applications in an attempt to steal your personal information too. Don’t fall for it! Research the company offering you a job first.

Holiday Apps

Apple's App Store and Google Play list dozens of holiday-themed apps: children can video chat live with Santa, light the menorah, watch Santa feed live reindeer, track his sleigh on Christmas Eve, or relay their Christmas wish-lists. This holiday season, when COVID-19 is causing kids to skip the traditional in-person visit with Santa, apps may play a more important role than ever. Before allowing a child to download any app, be sure what data its collecting and set permission requirements. Look for the apps privacy policy before it is downloaded. Be wary of free apps, as they can sometimes contain more advertising than apps that require a nominal fee. Free apps can also contain a form of malicious code called malware.

Popular Delivery Scams

Delivery scams and theft are particularly prevalent at the holidays, when more packages are being shipped. These scams come in phishing texts or emails that pose as official notices from delivery companies. They contain a “tracking link” or a message that there is a problem with the shipment. Clicking the link either takes you to a form that asks for personally identifying information, or to a site that downloads malware onto your computer. Legitimate delivery services usually leave a “missed delivery” notice on your door. If there is any question about a delivery, go to the delivery carrier's website directly.

Fake charities

Tis the season for giving! Scammers often take advantage of people’s generosity, especially at this time of the year, by using fake charity solicitations. Always be sure to check the charity first at give.org to be sure that the charity is real and to see how your donation is being used. A legitimate charity will take your donation today, tomorrow, or next month! Check out a charity at www.give.org.

For more information on holiday scams, go to www.bbb.org/holiday-tips