Remember to recycle right this festive period

‘tis the season for recycling. Over the festive period we all have extra packaging and food waste that’s “rockin’ around”. The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead is reminding residents to continue recycling as much as possible over Christmas and New Year.  

More than 70 per cent of your waste can be recycled or composted. Therefore, it’s important to “s-know” what can be recycled. For a full list, please visit our Recycling Waste webpage. 

You can recycle items such as glass jars and bottles, Tetrapak food and drink cartons, plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, metal food tins, drinks cans, aerosols and foil in your blue bin. The only requirement is that these items are loose, clean and dry. 

You can recycle your Christmas cards, envelopes and some wrapping paper. However, not everything can be put into your blue recycling bin, including Christmas cards with glitter and some wrapping paper. To identify which wrapping paper can be recycled, simply carry out the "Scrunch Test". After removing any sticky tape or labels, scrunch the wrapping paper into a ball. If it holds its shape, then it is ok to recycle. 

Recycling and general rubbish collection days will differ slightly following Christmas, with normal collection days resuming from Monday 15 January. You can visit our Holiday Collection Dates webpage for a full list of the revised collection dates or check our Find Your Collection Dates webpage to see when your next collection is due. 
 
Please remember to put your recycling and general rubbish out by 7am on the collection day and no earlier than the night before. Only items placed inside the bins will be collected as usual. 
 
Although our customer services opening hours are slightly different for Christmas, you can still Report A Missed Bin online at any time, from the day after your scheduled collection day.  

Please don’t forget to recycle your real Christmas tree. Chop up your tree into your green bin if you have one. Any trees left next to bins will not be picked up. If your tree does not fit into the bin, or you do not have a green waste subscription, you can take it to your nearest household recycling centre.

There will also be Christmas tree collections points around the borough from Tuesday 2 to Sunday 14 January 2024. A full list of these collection points can be found on this page.

Extra rubbish or recycling can be taken to our Stafferton Way Household Waste and Recycling Centre, which will continue to open daily 8am to 4.15pm, seven days a week over the festive period, except Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day. 

Cllr Richard Coe, Cabinet Member for Environmental Services, said: “We would like to thank everyone in the Royal Borough for their ongoing recycling efforts this year. Christmas is a time of joy, excitement and indulgence, but needn’t be one of waste.  
 
“To minimise our impact on the environment, please continue to reduce your waste, reuse when possible and recycle right. You should also make sure you know your Christmas recycling and general rubbish collection dates, by visiting the council’s website, social media or checking the posters in libraries.” 

Normal collections will resume from Monday 15 January 2024.