Residents across the London Borough of Hounslow are being advised of significant changes to their rubbish and recycling collection schedules over the festive period. The alterations, due to bank holidays, will affect services for several weeks, with normal routines not resuming until mid-January.
Revised Collection Dates for Christmas and New Year
Normal bin collections will be suspended from Christmas Eve and will not fully resume until Monday, 12 January. The council has published a detailed revised timetable to help households manage their waste during the disruption.
If your collection was originally scheduled for Christmas Eve, it will be brought forward by one day to Tuesday, 23 December. For those with a collection on Christmas Day itself (Thursday, 25 December), crews will instead empty bins on Christmas Eve.
Boxing Day collections face a longer delay. These will be picked up three days later, on Monday, 29 December. All collections planned for Monday, 29 December, will shift to Tuesday, 30 December.
The changes continue into the New Year period. Rubbish due for collection on Tuesday, 30 December, will be collected 24 hours later on New Year's Eve (Wednesday, 31 December).
New Year Bank Holiday Arrangements
With New Year's Day (Thursday, 1 January) being a bank holiday, further adjustments are necessary. Collections scheduled for New Year's Eve will now take place on Friday, 2 January.
If your usual collection day is New Year's Day, your bins will be emptied on Saturday, 3 January. Friday, 2 January collections are moved to Monday, 5 January.
For the entire week beginning Monday, 5 January, all scheduled collections will occur one day later than usual. The council confirms that standard collection services will finally return to normal from Monday, 12 January.
How to Recycle Your Christmas Tree in Hounslow
Hounslow Council is running its annual free Christmas tree collection service for residents. Collections will operate from Monday, 5 January until Friday, 16 January.
The council will collect trees on the scheduled garden waste collection week for each road. This is the same day, but on the alternate week, as your regular black wheelie bin collection.
Residents must follow specific rules to ensure their tree is taken:
- Remove all lights, tinsel, decorations, and stands.
- Place the tree at the boundary of your property by 7am on your collection day. Do not leave it on the pavement.
- Trees must be under 6ft tall and easily lifted by crews. Larger trees should be cut in half.
Important note for flat dwellers: If you live in a flat, you cannot place a tree out individually. You must contact your managing agent or residents' association. They are responsible for arranging a single bulk collection for the entire development or block through the council.
For full details on the Christmas tree recycling scheme, residents should visit the official Hounslow Council website.
