Residents across the London Borough of Ealing are being advised of significant changes to their rubbish and recycling collection services over the festive period. The disruption, caused by the Christmas and New Year bank holidays, will affect schedules for approximately four weeks, with services not returning to normal until Monday, January 19.
The local authority has released a detailed revised timetable to help households manage their waste. Collections due right up to Christmas Eve, Tuesday, December 24, will run as normal.
Revised Collection Dates for the Festive Period
The changes begin on Christmas Day. If your collection was originally scheduled for Thursday, December 25 (Christmas Day), your bins will now be emptied on Monday, December 29.
For those with a typical Friday collection, the Boxing Day (Friday, December 26) service is moved to Tuesday, December 30. All collections planned for Monday, December 29, are also delayed, shifting to Wednesday, December 31.
The delays extend into the New Year. Tuesday, December 30 collections face a three-day wait, moving to Friday, January 2. Wednesday, December 31 (New Year's Eve) pick-ups are rescheduled for Saturday, January 3.
As New Year's Day (Thursday, January 1) is a bank holiday, no crews will be working. Collections for that day are postponed by five days to Monday, January 5.
Further Delays into Mid-January
The knock-on effects continue through the first full week of January. Friday, January 2 collections are pushed to Tuesday, January 6, and Monday, January 5 collections move to Wednesday, January 7.
For the rest of the week beginning Monday, January 5, all collections will be two days later than the usual schedule. The following week, commencing Monday, January 12, will see a final, shorter delay of just one day for all collections.
Ealing Council has confirmed that the standard weekly collection timetable will fully resume from Monday, January 19.
Free Christmas Tree Recycling Service
In addition to the schedule changes, the council is running its annual free Christmas tree disposal scheme. Between Monday, January 5, and Friday, January 23, households that use the standard black and blue wheeled bins can leave their real trees at the front edge of their property for collection.
The trees will be collected on the same day as the revised black bin (general rubbish) collection, which operates on an alternate-week basis. The council has set specific guidelines for this service:
- All decorations, including tinsel and baubles, must be removed.
- Tree trunks must not exceed 20cm in diameter.
- Trees should be no taller than six feet; taller trees can be cut in half.
Residents living in flats or using communal bin services are not eligible for the kerbside collection. They must take their real trees to one of the designated parks or open spaces listed by the council, with this drop-off service also running until January 23.
For full details on tree disposal locations and the most up-to-date information on collection dates, residents are encouraged to visit the official Ealing Council website.
