South Cambridgeshire and Cambridge residents are being asked to check their bin collection dates, which as usual will be different during the Christmas and New Year period.

Bin collections from 26 December through to 13 January will all be at least one day later than usual due to bank holidays. Collections return to their regularly scheduled days from Monday 16 January.

Also as usual for this time of year when less garden waste is generated, collections of green bins will switch from their usual fortnightly collection pattern to monthly collections between 26 December until 18 March.

Meanwhile, the recent freezing weather has meant that lots of compacted snow has not thawed and roads that have not been gritted are too slippery and dangerous for bin lorries to drive down. The safety of the crew must come first and as a result, Greater Cambridge Shared Waste teams have not been able to empty some bins, particularly on smaller or minor roads that have not been gritted.

If all the bins on a street were not emptied, crews will not be able to return until the next collection day. For affected households, they will then do their best to remove additional waste left alongside wheelie bins when they come back for the next scheduled collection. For blue bins, this means one transparent clear sack of recycling plus one bundle of cardboard left at the side of the bin. Put any glass inside the blue bin and bundles of cardboard must be of a size which will fit inside an empty bin with the lid closed. For black bin waste, this will be up to two black bin bags left alongside the bin. Crews are not able to collect additional green bin waste that is not in an authorised additional green bin.

If you believe your bin has been missed, and others on your street were emptied, then please report this in the usual way via the council websites.

Residents are being encouraged to help bin crews during the freezing conditions by doing their very best to minimise the amount of waste and recycling they generate. This is so that crews have the best possible chance of finishing their rounds.

Bin collections across Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire are carried out by the Greater Cambridge Shared Waste Service, a partnership between Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

As well as taking note of when to put bins out during the weeks ahead, the councils are asking residents to think about what goes into them. Real Christmas trees can be booked in for a charity recycling collection through the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity website.

They can also be taken to Household Recycling Centres around the county, or in Cambridge, dropped off at Cherry Hinton Hall car park. If you can chop yours up, you can also put it in your green bin, as long as the lid closes.

Executive Councillor for Environment, Climate Change and Biodiversity at Cambridge City Council, Cllr Rosy Moore said: “We’re all looking for ways to save money at Christmas and taking care over the food you buy is great way to do this and save waste too. Making a list and checking it twice is not just for Santa, but it can help you buy only what you need. Keep an eye on use-by dates and freeze anything you can’t use up in time. If cold turkey sandwiches on Boxing Day aren’t your thing have a look at other things you can do with anything you can’t use up at Christmas dinner on the Love Food Hate Waste website.”

Lead Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Licensing at South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cllr Henry Batchelor said: “This time of year usually sees a significant increase in the amount of rubbish and recycling – particularly food waste - that our hardworking crews collect. Given the cost-of-living challenges, it’s even more important to only buy the food you know you’ll eat during the festive period. With temperatures dipping, I’d also like to remind residents that in freezing conditions the contents of green bins can become frozen stuck inside the bin, and crews may be unable to empty them fully. We aren’t able to come back to empty any bins that are frozen, so it’s important to try and prevent waste becoming frozen solid inside. There are some things you can do to try and avoid this, like wrapping food waste in paper, avoiding putting particularly wet materials in the bin, and storing it in a sheltered spot if you are able to.”

For more information about waste and recycling including which festive items can be recycled and how, and to see tailored bin collection calendars, Cambridge residents can visit our webpage on bins, recycling and rubbish.