East Suffolk Council
Advice on waste disposal at Christmas
Don’t spend time worrying about your waste throughout the festive season, our helpful guide covers recycling and bin collections during the festive season.
Festive recycling
The festive season brings lots of celebrations, which can create a lot of waste. Here’s some tips to make sure you get recycling right!
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Cardboard, food packaging, aluminium cans and plastic bottles can all go in your blue bin at home – just make sure you enjoy their contents and remove any non-recyclable elements before placing them in the bin.
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Christmas cards without glitter or foil effects can also be recycled at home, most wrapping paper too – just try the scrunch test before throwing it away and make sure you remove any non-recyclable tape, bows or ribbons before.
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Glass should be taken to your nearest bottle bank or recycling centre.
Got a real Christmas tree?
If you're purchasing a real Christmas tree this year, make sure you have a plan for disposal. It can go in your garden waste bin, but must be cut into pieces smaller than 6cm to fit. Alternatively, you can take it to your nearest recycling centre to dispose of, or even try composting it at home.
Local charities also offer a collection services for a fee, why not get rid of your tree easily, whilst also giving back this festive season?
St Elizabeth Hospice and East Anglia’s Children’s Hospice collect trees from many areas in East Suffolk, including Kesgrave, Felixstowe, Nacton, Woodbridge, Aldeburgh, Leiston, Saxmundham and Southwold. Check if you’re eligible for collection.
Choose any amount to donate, trees will be collected on either Thursday 8 January or Friday 9 January 2026, just leave your tree at the front of your house by 9am on the designated collection dates and their volunteers will be along to pick it up.
Bank Holiday bin collections
Over Christmas and New Years, there will be some changes to our usual bin collection schedule, and we apologise for any inconvenience during this period. Here’s the updated version:
|
Usual collection date |
New collection date |
Change |
|
Monday 22 Dec |
Saturday 20 Dec |
2 days EARLY |
|
Tuesday 23 Dec |
Monday 22 Dec |
1 day EARLY |
|
Wednesday 24 Dec |
Tuesday 23 Dec |
1 day EARLY |
|
Thursday 25 Dec |
Wednesday 24 Dec |
1 day EARLY |
|
Friday 26 Dec |
Saturday 27 Dec |
1 day late |
|
Monday 29 Dec |
Monday 29 Dec |
NO CHANGE |
|
Tuesday 30 Dec |
Tuesday 30 Dec |
NO CHANGE |
|
Wednesday 31 Dec |
Wednesday 31 Dec |
NO CHANGE |
|
Thursday 1 Jan |
Friday 2 Jan |
1 day late |
|
Friday 2 Jan |
Saturday 3 Jan |
1 day late |
Remember to leave your bin out by 6am on collection day. Use our bin collection dates finder to double check.
Dreaming of a green Christmas?
There are so many ways to have an eco-friendlier Christmas - gifting an experience rather than an object or having a re-usable advent calendar are just some of the ways you can help to reduce waste this Christmas. Check out Oxfam’s ideas for a sustainable Christmas for some more inspiration.
From reducing food waste to DIY-ing loved ones’ presents, we can all do our part to have a more sustainable Christmas.