WASTE and recycling collection dates will not change over the Christmas and New Year period, as waste collection crews will be working as normal on Bank Holidays Monday 27th, Tuesday 28th December 2021, and Monday 3rd January 2022.
Garden waste collections will stop for two weeks over this period. The last collections will take place on Friday 24th December and they will restart on Monday 10th January 2022.
Residents can check their waste, recycling and garden waste collection at: https://ilforms.wiltshire.gov.uk/WasteCollectionDays/index
Household recycling centre (HRC) opening times and dates will change over the Christmas and New Year period and residents are advised to check online before visiting an HRC at: www.wiltshire.gov.uk/household-recycling-centres
HRCs that normally open on Fridays will be open on Christmas Eve, 24th December from 10am but will close at 1pm. All HRCs will be closed on Sat- urday 25th, Sunday 26th December and Saturday 1st January 2022. Other than on these dates, the centres will open as normal on their specified opening days.
Wiltshire Council’s cabinet member for waste, cllr Dr Mark McClelland, said, “At Christmas time many of us generate more waste than usual. We would like everyone to do their bit by recycling as munch of their waste as possible. Our kerbside recycling collection service helps make this easy to do.
“I addition to the everyday items people tend to recycle in their blue lidded bin and black box, people can add items including wrapping paper, providing it scrunches into a ball*; cardboard packaging; plastic sweet tubs (up to 5 litres); mince pie foil cases; drinks cans; glass bottles; and Christmas cards without glitter. Local charity shops may be happy to re- ceive donations of unwanted Christmas presents.
“It is important that people do not place batteries or electrical items into any of their bins. These items can cause fires in collection vehicles or at waste processing and sorting facilities. These should be disposed of at HRCs instead.”
Households with extra recyclable materials such as cans, cardboard and paper can be placed in suitable alternative containers alongside their bin for collection. Flatten cardboard and wash and squash plastic bottles and cartons and put the lids back on as this will help make more room in your blue-lidded bin.
People who pay to have their garden waste collected can put their real Christmas tree, alongside their garden waste bin on their first collection in January. The council will collect your tree for composting, or you can support local charities by paying a small donation to have your tree collected via the Just Helping scheme at: https://charityxmas- treecollection.com/
For information about local recycling centres, recycling Christmas trees, collection days and advice on how to reduce waste and recycle as much as possible during the festive period visit: www.wiltshire.gov.uk/rubbish-and-recycling
*The scrunch test is when you try to squeeze paper into a ball. If it stays in a ball, it is most likely the wrapping paper is made of paper only. If it does not, it is likely the paper contains other materials, which means the council cannot collect it for recycling.
