Changes to waste and recycling over Christmas

As Christmas draws closer, Bridgend County Borough Council and its waste partners Kier have confirmed what changes will be made to recycling and rubbish collections over the festive period.

Collections will be carried out as normal on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve but not on Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year’s Day. Waste that is due to be collected on Christmas Day (Friday) will be picked up on Sunday, December 27, and collections due on New Year’s Day (Friday) will be picked up on Saturday, January 2. Collections will be carried out as normal on Bank Holiday Monday, December 28.

While residents are usually restricted to filling two blue waste bags each fortnight, homes can put out one extra waste bag for their first refuse collection after Christmas Day to help accommodate the additional rubbish accumulated over the festive season.

Kier will have an additional vehicle out over Christmas to collect extra cardboard. If yours isn’t collected with your other recycling, the crew will be around later in the day to pick it up.

I’d like to thank Bridgend County Borough residents for their amazing efforts with recycling this year. While most festive items can be recycled, the main ones you shouldn’t put in your recycling bags are cards that have glitter on them, wrapping paper, black plastic, cellophane wrap, bubble wrap and polystyrene.

Paper envelopes go in your white sack, foil goes in your blue sack, and all of your peelings and other food waste, including the turkey carcass, can go out in your brown food container. You can even recycle real Christmas trees by taking them along to one of the local community recycling centres.

Deputy Leader Hywel Williams

More Christmas recycling reminders:

• Polystyrene can’t be taken for recycling at the kerbside so must be put into your blue waste bag for the refuse collection or take it along to your nearest household recycling centre.

• Christmas cards with glitter should go into the blue waste sack rather than with your recycling.
• Recycling centres will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day but will be open on all other days as normal from 9am-4pm.

• Real Christmas trees can be recycled at all our community recycling centres 9am to 4pm seven days a week and can also be taken to the Waterton Depot from Mon 4 Jan onwards. Safety measures and signage will be in place at Waterton Depot and trees can be dropped off between 7.30am to 3pm weekdays only.

If someone in your home is showing coronavirus symptoms, double bag their tissues and set them aside for 72 hours before putting them in your waste bag. Tissues, kitchen roll, toilet paper or wipes shouldn’t be placed in your recycling bags or public litter bins in order to keep residents and Kier collection crews safe.