I am switching my 10 slot rack from belly heat to back heat.

the flexwatt that needs to be covered is about 5 1/2 feet.

the clear cut marks are every foot on the heat tape. so i have an extra 6 inches of flexwatt i dont need.

my question is, IS IT ALRIGHT TO CUT THE BLACK PART OF THE HEAT TAPE ?
i have heard not to.

if its not okay to cut in the black part what should i do with the extra 6 inches of heat tape?

it is 11 inch heat tape and i am using aluminum tape to tape the flexwatt down.