Swindon Borough Council’s Waste and Recycling crews will be out collecting as normal for the majority of the festive season, with only collections falling on Boxing Day (26 December) affected by changes to the usual collection schedule.
Residents whose usual waste and recycling collection falls on Monday, 26 December are advised to put their waste and recycling out by 6.30am on Tuesday, 27 December instead and leave out until collected. Crews will endeavour to complete these collections by Friday, 30 December.
There will also be no collections of Blue Bags on Monday, 26 December but instead, there will be a double collection (up to four bags) on Monday, 2 January.
All other waste and recycling collections are scheduled to go ahead as normal in Swindon.
Residents are advised to put their waste and recycling out, including food waste and clinical waste (for those who receive collections), by 6.30am on their collection day.
Residents can remind themselves of their collection day by visiting www.swindon.gov.uk/rubbishcollectiondays.
As per the service terms and conditions, garden waste collections will be suspended for two weeks from Monday, 26 December while the crews concentrate on collecting all the additional waste created over the Christmas period. Garden waste collections will resume on Monday, 9 January.
The Council will also be offering a free recycling collection for real (not artificial) Christmas trees. Residents will need to request a collection, unless they have a garden waste subscription.
Garden waste subscribers should place their tree next to their green bin for collection on their scheduled collection day between Monday, 9 January and Friday, 3 February.
Residents without a garden waste subscription must request a tree collection via the Council’s website. A form will be made available at www.swindon.gov.uk/christmaswaste. Upon completing the form, residents will be advised of a date for collection as the Garden Waste crews will collect trees as they operate in the area, between 23 January and 3 February.
Trees must be put out at the front of the property, so they are clearly visible from the road. All lights and decorations must be removed, and trees must be safely lifted by two people. If the tree is very large, it must be cut into manageable pieces.
The majority of rubbish produced during the festive period is recyclable, so residents are encouraged to keep their general rubbish to a minimum and recycle as much as possible. The Council will be putting additional resources in place to cope with the extra material. It will help crews to complete collections more efficiently if recycling is sorted into the following:
- Paper and card in one box – covered with a lid to keep it dry
- Clean tins, cans, foil, glass bottles, glass jars and aerosols into a second box
If residents have any extra recycling that won’t fit in their recycling boxes, sturdy containers from around the home can be used to put additional recycling out on their collection days throughout January. The containers do not need to be council-branded but they should be of a similar size (not larger) than the normal recycling boxes and must be able to be lifted safely.
Residents are advised to not place glass or cans into cardboard boxes for collection as they will not be collected. All plastic or polystyrene packaging should be removed from cardboard boxes and large boxes should be broken down into manageable pieces.
The crews will not be collecting additional non-recyclable waste.
The Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) will be closed from Sunday, 25 December to Wednesday, 28 December as well as on Sunday, 1 January and Monday, 2 January. Normal opening hours will commence on Tuesday, 3 January. Visits to the HWRC can be booked via the Council’s website: www.swindon.gov.uk/hwrc
Councillor Kevin Parry, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Waste Collection and Disposal & Highway Maintenance, said: “I’m sure residents will be glad to hear that there will be minimal changes to waste and recycling collection days over the Christmas and New Year period.
“To make it even easier for you to recycle as much of your waste as possible, we will be offering additional recycling services throughout January. Please make use of these services and enjoy a greener Christmas.
“I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank the collection crews for working so hard throughout the year. In all conditions, the team continue to deliver a great service for our residents.”
For more information on Christmas and New Year waste and recycling services please visit: www.swindon.gov.uk/christmaswaste