Corrugated cardboard isn't the only thing that can go in the recycling bin. Wrapping paper can also be reused if it isn't made of foil and doesn't have any plastic bows. Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia said New Yorkers can aim for a zero waste Christmas if they're really ambitious.

"If you pick things that don't include film plastics that have a place in each one of our receptacles particularly if you're in an organics district where we collect all of your food waste curbside, you can really drive down the amount of regular waste that you actually need to throw away," she said.

Fruitcakes included.

"We will take fruitcakes in the organics bin though whoever made them will probably be upset that you didn't eat them," Garcia said.

There's no trash or recycling pickup on Monday but the department said people who normally do have Monday pickup can start putting bags out after 4 p.m.

One item they're sure to get a lot of is cardboard. Garcia said the city is about to finish a new study showing how the rise in package deliveries has been offset by a decline in newspapers and magazines. As more people turn to Kindles and iPads, she said, "we've been able to accommodate the changing consumer habits that has been going on over the last few years with the rise of both direct mail as well as delivery." About 18 percent of the city's trash is recycled.

Luis Martinez, a doorman on the Upper West Side, said his building has been getting 50 to 100 packages every day for the past month as residents increasingly turn to Amazon and other online retailers for holiday gifts. The only way to stay on top of the crush has been to break down and put out the boxes as quickly as possible.

Another doorman, Erwin Bernardin, said the load is almost too much. After 12 years on the job he hopes he'll get some seasonal help next year to handle the extra packages. And while the big day may be here, the work won't be done for a while.

"Back to normal? That will probably be mid-January," Bernardin said.

That's because people start returning gifts as soon as Christmas ends.