Please take note of these few pointers to reduce waste and help out the collections crews. Have a happy Christmas.

For more general information on what can go in your bins please see our what can I put in my bins page

Wrapping paper and greeting cards

If you can scrunch your wrapping paper up it can be recycled, if it unravels itself it has to go in your waste bin. Make sure the wrapping paper your using is paper! Not all wrapping paper is recyclable, some of the shiny ones have a coated surface which means they cant be recycled. Stick to paper which looks and feels more natural, brown paper with twine is a very effective and novel way to wrap presents. The paper can be recycled and you can re-use the twine. Remember the cardboard roll the wrapping paper comes on can be recycled as well.

All the tape, ribbons, bows and glitter make wrapping paper difficult to recycle (remove before recycling) and this is the same with your Christmas cards. Cards with glitter on or plastic will stop them being recycled. Please make sure if you are sending cards they are made from recycled material. Better yet you can send electronic Christmas cards.

Cardboard

Christmas is the time of endless cardboard packaging. Please help the collection crews out by making sure all cardboard is broken down and flattened otherwise your bin will overflow quickly. Please don’t pile up empty boxes by your green bin hoping the crew will take them, they are not expected to. They need to be contained either in the green recycling bin itself or if you have excess in carrier bags so they can be placed into a bin easily ready for loading into the vehicle. Sorry the collection operatives don’t have the time to flatten cardboard, they have bins to collect. If everyone leaves out cardboard boxes that need flattening down the crews will be out collecting until next Christmas!

Glass

Don’t forget glass must go in your green recycling bin, please DO NOT use your old kerbside glass box. Due to the weight and potential hazards posed by glass please always place it in your green bin and never in a bag outside your green bin. It is safer to place lighter recycling like plastics in additional bags.

Unwanted bulky items

A child may get a new bike or playhouse and now the old one needs to go. Please do not leave bulky items like large toys, white goods and old furniture by your household waste bin, they will not be collected. If its still in good condition give it away or sell it second hand (reuse). Alternatively we can provide a bulky waste collection or you can take such items to your local tip.

Christmas disruptions

Christmas is different to the rest of the year when it comes to waste and recycling collections. During the rest of the year the amount of waste and recycling collected each month is roughly the same. At Christmas and in January the amount of waste and recycling presented for collection increases significantly. This causes collection vehicles to fill up quicker meaning they have to go to the tip to empty more often and therefore take longer to carry out their collections.

Please be aware your collections might take place later in the day than normal or you may see a different collection vehicle and crew who have been brought in to help out your normal crew out.

In the event of significant delays collections may take place the following day so its best to report a missed bin online as soon as possible and if in doubt keep your bins out!

The best advice we can give is that in the event your collection doesn’t take place report it online and then leave your bin(s) out until they are collected. Access for collection vehicles can be difficult at Christmas, there are more cars parked on the street. This can lead to cars parked on corners and road entrances and this can result in our collection vehicles not being able to gain access.

White Christmas

Heavy snowfall and ice makes driving conditions very difficult. In the event of snow and low temperatures our collections contractor Biffa will make an assessment whether it is safe to carry out collections. In the event of snow leave your bins out and collections will be made when conditions are safe to do so. Please refer to our website for updates.