Overview
Due to the Christmas and New Year bank holidays, there will be changes to some collections.
If your collection is on a Thursday or Friday
There will be no collections on:
- Thursday 25 December 2025
- Friday 26 December 2025
- Thursday 1 January 2026
We will be collecting on a new date if you have a Thursday or Friday collection.
If your collection is on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday
There are no changes to collections for Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. They will continue as scheduled.
Timing of collections over Christmas and the New Year
We may collect at different times over the holiday period due to the extra amounts of rubbish and recycling that we need to collect.
Please ensure that your recycling and rubbish is out by 6:00am on the day of collection and wait until after 4:00pm to report a missed collection.
Soft plastic
Don't forget you can now recycle soft plastic in your brown bin. This leaflet provides more information about what soft plastics are allowed.
Cardboard
Please remove all packaging and break down cardboard so it fits in your brown bin or clear sacks. If your bin is full, cardboard can be left alongside it but must be broken down to a size that could fit in your bin.
Extra recycling
There's no limit to the amount of recycling we'll collect on your scheduled day but any additional recycling should be placed in a suitable container such as:
- your old black recycling box
- a hessian or jute bag
- a clear plastic bag or carrier bag
Please do not use cardboard boxes as if wet, they can get soggy and the contents fall out. We cannot empty large bags, e.g. builders sacks.
To check what you can and can’t recycle, you can view our Christmas collections leaflet or visit our what goes in my container page.
Extra rubbish
Most of the additional waste that we accumulate over the festive period is recyclable. Please recycle as much of your waste as possible. There is no limit on the amount of recycling that we will collect from the kerbside.
We'll be collecting extra rubbish from Monday 29 December until Friday 2 January. Extra rubbish should be placed in a tied black bag and left next to your black wheelie bin or purple sacks.
If you have large quantities of extra rubbish, you will need to book an appointment at Bickenhill Household Waste Recycling Centre to dispose of it.
Unwanted small electrical items and clothing
If you received any new electrical items or clothing for Christmas and were wondering what to do with the old ones, they can be collected through our small item collection service.
Real Christmas trees
If you are looking to dispose of your real Christmas tree, you can do the following:
- when purchasing your Christmas tree, see if the retailer offers a take-back scheme for your used tree – often garden centres and tree suppliers offer this scheme
- if you purchase a tree with roots, why not replant it in a pot in your garden and use it again next year or you could consider renting a Christmas tree?
- if you have subscribed to the Garden Waste Collection service, real Christmas trees can be cut up and placed in your green wheelie bin. Please check your collection calendar to see when your garden waste collections start again in January. Tree stumps must be no larger than 3 inches/7.5cm in diameter and trees should be cut down so that they fit in your green bin with the lid closed.
- Christmas trees can be taken to Bickenhill Household Waste Recycling Centre for recycling (visits to Bickenhill must be booked in advance)