Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire residents are being asked to check their bin collection dates for the Christmas period.

Bin collections falling on Wednesday 25 December and Wednesday 1 January will be brought forward and collected two days early, on Monday 23 December and Monday 30 December respectively.

Collections due on Thursday 26 and Friday 27 December will be one day later than normal.

All other collections remain the same as usual due to the four-day week collection arrangements, which reduce disruption to bin schedules around Bank Holidays.

Collections return to their regular scheduled days from Thursday 2 January.

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 24 December and 4 March.

Bin collections across Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire are carried out by the Greater Cambridge Shared Waste Service (GCSWS), a partnership between Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire District Councils. GCSWS says that the quality of recycling it collects over Christmas is often poorer than at other times of the year, and reminds residents to ‘Eat, Rinse, Recycle’ when it comes to food packaging. January 2024 saw a 31% increase (49 tonnes) in items that were not suitable for recycling (either they were incorrect or too dirty) in the blue bins compared to the annual average.

Lead Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Licensing at South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cllr Natalie Warren-Green said: “Many of us tend to be busier over the festive period, but it’s important not to let our good recycling habits slide. Food and drink packaging or containers need to be rinsed – they don’t have to be pristine, but food, grease and liquids left inside will spoil paper and card, making it unsuitable for recycling. In turn, wet paper and card sticks to plastic packaging, making that harder to recycle too. These problems result in tonnes of items which could have been recycled having to be disposed of in landfill instead.”

National figures recently released by DS Smith, a paper recycling firm, suggest that sorting problems caused by wet paper and card sticking to plastic packaging is causing an extra 5,000 tonnes of plastic to be landfilled or incinerated across the UK over the winter months.

Executive Councillor for Environment, Climate Change and Biodiversity at Cambridge City Council, Cllr Rosy Moore said: “Our wheelie bin system fortunately means that it’s easier for us all to keep paper and card dry for recycling in our area, but these figures highlight the importance of quality when it comes to ensuring items can be recycled effectively. Only clean and dry cardboard can be recycled so if it has food on it - like a pizza box - then please put it in your green bin to be composted. We will collect one bundle of excess cardboard left next to a blue bin – but do please make sure that it’s not left out on a rainy day. Other extra recycling except for glass can be left out in a transparent sack.”

Seasonal items can also lead to a spike in the amount wasted over the festive period, but there are easy ways to lighten the load on your bins.

Real Christmas trees can be booked in for a charity recycling collection by Arthur Rank Hospice Charity in January at www.just-helping.org.uk/register-tree , 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).

Wrapping paper and greetings cards can be recycled in blue bins as long as they are free of glitter and plastic and are not metallic.

30% more food is wasted at Christmas, so have a plan for leftovers and make good use of your freezer. Find recipes and tips at www.lovefoodhatewaste.com

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 www.cambridge.gov.uk/bins and South Cambridgeshire residents can visit www.scambs.gov.uk/bins