Bexley Council has published its essential waste and recycling schedule for the Christmas and New Year period, detailing altered collection days and crucial advice for disposing of festive items like trees and wrapping paper correctly.
Revised Collection Dates for Christmas and New Year
There will be no collections for waste or recycling on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, or New Year's Day. Households affected by these changes will see their collection days shifted as follows:
- Collections due on Christmas Day (Thursday 25 December) will instead take place on Friday 27 December.
- Collections scheduled for Boxing Day (Friday 26 December) are moved to Saturday 28 December.
- If your collection is planned for New Year's Day (Thursday 1 January), it will happen on Friday 2 January.
- Collections due on Friday 2 January are postponed to Saturday 3 January.
The council has confirmed that normal collection arrangements will resume from Monday 5 January.
How to Recycle Your Christmas Tree and Festive Waste
The garden waste service will be suspended for two weeks from Sunday 22 December, restarting on Monday 5 January. Residents with real Christmas trees can use this service for disposal, but must follow specific rules:
- Remove all decorations, tinsel, and stands.
- Cut the tree in half.
- Place it next to your garden waste bin on your first scheduled collection day after the service resumes.
For festive packaging, the council advises that most wrapping paper can be recycled if it passes the simple 'scrunch test'. If the paper stays scrunched and doesn't spring back, it is non-foil and can go in recycling, provided all sticky tape is removed. However, paper decorated with foil, glitter, or plastic must be placed in general waste, along with ribbons, bows, and sticky tape.
Christmas cards without glitter or foil can typically be recycled with paper and card.
Recycling Centres, Electricals, and Other Services
Bexley's two Reuse and Recycling Centres at Crayford (Thames Road) and Foots Cray (Maidstone Road) remain open from 7.30am to 4pm but will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year's Day.
The council has issued a critical reminder: batteries, vapes, and electrical items must never be placed in general waste or recycling bins due to the severe fire risk they pose. Instead:
- Small electrical items can be taken to electrical recycling banks across the borough.
- Larger items can be disposed of at the Reuse and Recycling Centres or via the council's charged bulky waste collection service.
- Batteries can be recycled at the centres, council libraries, Civic Offices, and most large supermarkets in designated containers.
- For vapes, the battery must be removed for separate recycling; the device itself should then be recycled as electrical waste.
Residents looking for a wardrobe clear-out can use the free home collection service from clothing charity TRAID. Those donating two bags of clothes can also leave out a small bag of broken small electricals, like kettles or toasters, for collection. Bookings can be made online.
The council's Civic Offices in Bexleyheath will close on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year's Day. For out-of-hours support, residents should call 020 8303 7777.
