Published: Tuesday 10 December 2024
From tinsel to textiles to turkey, we all have things we throw out at Christmas which are a bit different to our usual rubbish. Here’s the low-down of what to do with all the trimmings.
When should I put my bin bags out for collection?
Our waste crews will be collecting rubbish throughout the Christmas period, with one change.
If you normally put your rubbish out on a Thursday, this year that is Boxing Day, Thursday 26 December 2024. That is the one day our household crews won’t be collecting, so please hang on to your waste and put it out for collection before 7am on Monday 30 December 2024.
If you have lots of rubbish that you can’t keep in your home, you can visit one of our mini recycling centres to dispose of things like food waste, bottles, tins and cans, paper and cardboard and even small electricals or clothes and textiles. Find out more and see a map of locations around the borough.
We don’t have any residential waste collections on Wednesdays so there will be no impact on Christmas Day 2024 for residents. Businesses who use the Council’s commercial waste collection service will not have a collection on Christmas Day. Businesses should hold on to their waste and place out at their next scheduled collection time.
Food
If you somehow have pigs in blankets that didn’t get eaten, then food waste can be recycled at our mini household waste recycling centres or in your food waste, if you have food waste collections.
If these options are no good, please make sure you put food in the general waste and not your recycling bags. Food can leak and spill, ruining good recycling.
If you have dried and tinned foods, you could consider donating to a foodbank or using the Olio app – a way to share things you no longer need with other people in your community.
Clothes and textiles
Christmas jumper past it’s best? Please don’t throw it in your household waste and recycling. We can’t sort these at our local centres and the best way to recycle clothes and textiles is at our mini recycling centres or the household waste recycling centre at Smugglers Way in Wandsworth. You can also arrange a textile collection from your home with Traid.
If it’s old to you but new to someone else, you can also try a clothes swap event or drop off at your local charity shop.
Small electricals
There’s always one set of Christmas lights that gives up the ghost. This is another one for the mini recycling centre or main household waste recycling centre. Here they can sort through the electricals and reuse parts or refurbish items. Please don’t put electricals in your kerbside rubbish or recycling as this can be dangerous for our crews.
Batteries
Batteries can explode when compacted so it’s very important that these are disposed of safely. Please don’t put batteries in your household waste or recycling. Instead, you’ll find disposal points at local supermarkets and even at Kensington Town Hall.
Toys
Hopefully nothing from Santa this year is heading for the waste but old toys might be replaced by newcomers. Toys can’t go in your household waste or recycling collections. Instead, if they’re in good condition, try a local charity shop. Or you can take them to the Western Riverside household waste recycling centre in Smugglers Way, Wandsworth. There is a rework and reuse project at the centre and where toys can be repaired they are passed on to local charities.
Soft plastics
We know, plastics can be confusing. The general rule is if you can crumple it easily in your hand, it can’t be recycled.
So crisp packets, the seal on tops of ready meals go in the rubbish. But trays and punnets can go in the recycling. Remember to give them a rinse first. Check out our A-Z of recycling if in doubt.
Christmas cards and wrapping paper
Lots of Christmas cards can go in the recycling but if there is glitter, they need to go in the rubbish. Lots of retailers are now selling recyclable wrapping paper so look out for that when you’re shopping. If paper is shiny or sparkly that tends to mean there are sneaky soft plastics in there. Anything glittering goes in the rubbish.
Decorations
Sparkly decorations, wrapping paper or cards with shiny metallic decorations or glitter cannot be recycled, these should go in your household waste or taken to the household waste recycling centre at Smugglers Way. Paper ornaments, cards and paper can be recycled at home if there’s no glitter!
What should I do with my Christmas tree?
If you have a real Christmas tree, then composting is the best thing for it, for the environment. That might not be possible at home! If not, we can help. There will be drop off points around the borough where you can leave your tree for collection between Thursday 2 January and Sunday 19 January 2025. See a full list of drop off points.
If you can’t get your tree to a drop off point we also offer kerbside collection. Just put your tree out before 7am on your usual waste collection day between Thursday 2 January and Friday 17 January 2025.