Christmas is nearly here, so it’s time to check when bin collections will take place over the festive season. The service will be taking a very well earned break over the festive period and there will be no bin collections between Tuesday 28 and Friday 31 December 2021. Collections will resume on Tuesday 4 January 2022.

The quickest and easiest way to see which bin will be collected on which day is to log in to MyAccount. The home page will show your collections for the next several weeks. If you use MyAccount, you’ll get an email notification reminding you to check your Christmas bin collections. We’ll also be attaching a tag to your black bin to let you know about changes over the festive period, so keep an eye out for this.

If you don’t use MyAccount, you can also check our Bin Day look up tool.

Councillor Jerry Pearce, Cabinet Member for Streetpride and Public Spaces commented:

“We all think of the festive period as a time of giving but sadly, it can also be one of the most wasteful times of year. Often, we can get carried away with deals and buy too much food that goes to waste or, buying gifts that have excessive packaging.

I’d urge everyone to take a step back and think about what and how much they’re purchasing in the run up to Christmas and to try and reduce their waste. It’s not just good for the planet and climate change, it’s good for your pocket too and will save you money!”

We’ve pulled together some of our favourite tips and tricks to help you reduce waste, recycle more and save some money too!

Wrapping paper

Although it looks pretty, glittery and foiled wrapping paper can’t be recycled! Nor can wrapping paper with plastic film covering. Opt for plain or recycled papers and decorate with string or ribbons and fragrant natural decorations such as pine cones and acorns, sprigs of evergreen or cinnamon sticks. You can test if wrapping paper is recyclable by using the Recycle Now scrunch test. If wrapping isn’t your thing, why not put gifts in reusable bags? You could even personalise them for recipients!

Christmas cards

They can be recycled if they are just card without fancy decorations. 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 to use to make gift tags for next year!

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.
  • 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.
  • 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 you get your new ones, try using rechargeable batteries to reduce how many you use. 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 fun and personal approach to present-giving, and you can decide exactly how much packaging you use.
  • When 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 your stuff.
  • If you’re wrapping up a delicate item, try padding it with shredded paper instead of foam peanuts or anything plastic. Shredded paper can then be home composted or recycled.
  • 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 really valuable materials which should 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!
  • Check out Love Food Hate Waste to find some yummy recipes to use up your leftovers. There are ideas for leftover turkey, potatoes, sprouts and other holiday staples. Make sure your fridge is set to the right temperature, too - this will keep your leftovers fresh for longer!

After Christmas excess

For your first blue bin collection in January (recycling bin), you may leave extra boxes or clear plastic bags of recyclable materials. We recommend using the extra space for paper and cardboard, making sure there is enough room in your wheelie bin for any glass you wish to recycle. Please ensure the clear bags or boxes are open/loosely tied so the collection team can see the contents.

To save room, please collapse any cardboard boxes you put in your recycling and squash all cartons and plastic bottles.

For your first black (general waste) bin day in January, you can leave up to three extra bags of waste out for us to collect. Please ensure that it is securely bagged.

Over the holidays, you can also book a visit to Raynesway Household Waste and Recycling Centre.

For more information about reducing waste and recycling, visit derby.gov.uk/bins