Christmas waste and recycling collections

Changes to waste services over Christmas 2023

Most of our waste services will run as usual over the festive period. But there will be changes to recycling and rubbish collections due on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

You can download your full collection calendar by visiting the my area page. 

Clinical waste collections

If you receive a clinical waste collection, we’ll be in touch with you directly about your collections over the Christmas period. 

Real Christmas tree collections

Garden waste collection subscribers

If you subscribe to our garden waste collection service, you can put your real Christmas tree out beside your garden waste bin or bag on your normal garden waste collection day up until 31 January 2024 and we'll collect it for shredding. 

If your tree is larger than 6ft, please cut it in half. 

Not a garden waste customer?

If you’re not a garden waste customer, please

• compost your tree at home if you can,
• take it to your Household Waste and Recycling Centre,
• or consider subscribing to garden waste collections 

View your garden waste collection days

Household Waste and Recycling Centres

HWRCs will be open 9am to 4pm throughout the festive period except for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

Please sort your items before you get to the Household Waste and Recycling Centre including;

• wood
• plastic
• electricals
• garden waste
• drinks cartons
• batteries

Find out more about household recycling centre services

Christmas recycling and waste reduction

Christmas cards and wrapping paper

You can recycle:

• Christmas cards
• envelopes
• wrapping paper

Put them out for collection in your orange recycling bag for cardboard.

Please remove decorations as we cannot recycle these, such as;

• ribbon
• foil
• glitter
• plastic film
• tinsel
• bubble wrap

Batteries

Please do not put batteries out for collection with your rubbish or recycling.

They can start fires when crushed in rubbish lorries or at waste transfer stations.

You can take batteries (including button batteries and battery packs) to a supermarket or HWRC for recycling.

Visit recyclenow.com to find out where you can recycle batteries locally.

Cardboard and brown paper

Please remove any sticky tape and staples.

Flatpack any cardboard boxes and put out in your orange recycling bag along with any brown paper.

Food waste

Households in Cornwall threw away an estimated 1,000 tonnes of food waste last Christmas. That’s approximately £3 million worth of food thrown in the bin and wasted, so plan your Christmas food shop carefully and make the most of the leftovers.

The Love Food Hate Waste (LFHW) website has Christmas dinner all wrapped up for you.

Reduce your Christmas food waste and your shopping bill

Christmas food packaging

Remember to recycle your packaging in your red recycling bag for plastic, cans and tins, such as:

• fresh cream pots
• brandy sauce pots
• Christmas pudding bowls
• sweets tubs
• mince pie trays
• plastic chocolate box trays (as long as they’re not black plastic)

Any cardboard packaging goes in your orange recycling bag.

Use our recycling A-Z to find out more

Find out what goes in each recycling container