Residents in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea are being urged to take note of significant changes to rubbish and recycling collections over the festive period. The council has released its annual schedule, detailing which days services will be suspended and providing crucial advice for disposing of real Christmas trees.
Revised Collection Dates for Festive Period
The local authority has confirmed that there will be no recycling or rubbish collections on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, or New Year's Day. This suspension affects all standard household collections across the borough.
To manage the disruption, revised collection dates have been put in place. Households that would normally have their bins emptied on Thursday, December 25 (Christmas Day) will instead receive a collection on Monday, December 29.
Those scheduled for a pick-up on Friday, December 26 (Boxing Day) will have their waste collected on Tuesday, December 30. As New Year's Day falls on a Thursday, the council has arranged for a replacement collection on Monday, January 5, 2026.
How to Dispose of Your Christmas Tree
The council is offering two main options for residents to get rid of their real Christmas trees once the festivities are over.
The first is a dedicated kerbside collection service. Christmas trees will be picked up alongside your regular rubbish and recycling on your scheduled collection day. This service will run from Friday, January 2, 2026, to Friday, January 16, 2026.
To use this service, residents must ensure their tree is placed out before 7am on their collection day. It should be positioned somewhere clearly visible and must not obstruct the pavement. All decorations, netting, and pots must be removed first.
The second option is to use one of the borough's many free drop-off points. These sites will be open from Sunday, December 28, 2025, to Sunday, January 18, 2026.
Key drop-off locations include:
- Emslie Horniman Park (Kensal Road side), W10
- Kensington Memorial Park (St Helen’s Gardens entrance), W10
- All Saints Church (at the top of Colville Gardens), W11
- Holland Park car park, Abbotsbury Road, W14
- Campden Hill Road (outside Kensington Town Hall), W8
- Hans Place (southern end), SW1
- The Boltons (south side of the church), SW10
A full list of over twenty locations has been published by the council.
Bulky Waste and Items Not Collected
For larger household items that are too big for the regular bin, the council is directing residents to its 'Too Big for the Bin' service. Residents must book a slot in advance for this bulky waste collection.
The authority has also reiterated a list of items it will not collect through standard services. These are:
- Furniture and white goods (e.g., fridges, washing machines)
- Paint, oil, and carpets
- Wood and builders' waste
- Electrical appliances, unless they can fit inside a standard dustbin or black bag
Residents living in properties with a housing provider or caretaker are advised to check if separate tree collection arrangements are in place. If not, property managers can arrange a one-off bulk collection of real trees by contacting Streetline on 020 7361 3001 or via email. This service ends in mid-January.
By planning ahead and using the designated services, residents can ensure their festive period is both merry and tidy, while helping the council maintain efficient waste management operations.
