Bin collections over the Christmas period
There will be some changes to bin collections over the festive period, including some early collections on Monday 23rd December.
In the New Year, collections will resume as normal.
You can check your collections ahead of time using the bin day lookup tool.
The festive period is the time of year when households across the UK create more waste than at any other period.
Recycling
You may leave extra bags of recycling alongside your blue bin before a collection. Please ensure:
- that the bags are either open or loosely tied so that our crews can see the contents.
- that you wash and squash you recycling.
Flattened cardboard can also be accepted alongside the extra bags.
If you are unsure about a particular item, please check our Recycling Helper. Alternatively, book a visit to Raynesway HWRC.
On your first black bin collection in January 2025, we will take up to three extra bags of non-recyclable waste alongside your black bin.
Tips to reduce your festive waste
Food
Writing a shopping list can be particularly useful in reducing food waste and the amount you spend in the supermarket.
Love Food Hate Waste have tips, recipes and other tools to help you get as much from your food as possible.
For more Love Food Hate Waste inspiration, visit their website or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
Instead of throwing away your vegetable peelings, turn them into compost . It’s great for your garden and the environment. If you don’t home compost, then remember you can recycle these in your brown bin.
Christmas cards
Christmas cards can be recycled if they don’t have any glitter, foil or embellishments. If you do want to recycle all of your cards, you’ll need to take off any embellishments and glittery areas before putting them in the blue bin.
Alternatively, cut them up make gift tags for next year.
Wrapping paper
Recyclable wrapping paper is now more readily available than ever, so please use wrapping paper that can go in your blue bin.
Other top tips
- Do whatever wrapping you can before your last pre-Christmas collection. This way, any paper, card or packaging can be recycled before the bin collections stop for the holidays.
- Squash all your plastics and collapse cardboard boxes to save space in your blue bin.
- If you need to change the batteries in any of your appliances, you can recycle the old ones at battery recycling points in most supermarkets. When replacing consider using using rechargeable batteries. Please don’t put batteries in your wheelie bins – they could cause a fire during the collection or handling process.
- Homemade gifts are a great option: they are a personal approach to present-giving and you can decide exactly how much packaging you use.
- If you get something new, instead of throwing the old item away, give it a new home. Charity shops are always looking for sellable goods and using sites such as Facebook Marketplace, Freecycle and Freegle is a great way to pass on items.
- If you’re wrapping up a delicate item, pad it with shredded paper instead of foam peanuts or anything plastic. Shredded paper can then be home composted.
- If you get any new electricals, the old ones can be recycled at Raynesway Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) or check out the recycling schemes offered by those selling electrical items and return to store . Please don't put them in your wheelie bins – here they pose a fire risk, plus they contain valuable materials which can be recycled.
- If you have a real Christmas tree and the main trunk is less than 12cm thick, it can be chopped down and placed in your brown bin to be composted. Alternatively, you can book a visit to Raynesway HWRC . Please remove all decorations – these cannot be composted.