Christmas recycling and rubbish collections

Most recycling and rubbish collections will go ahead over Christmas and New Year, but there will be some changes:

• Recycling and rubbish sacks: Collections due on Monday 26 December 2022 will be collected on Monday 2 January 2023. If your collection is affected, we will pick up extra recycling and rubbish on Monday 2 January 2023.

• Glass:Collections due on Monday 26 December 2022 will be collected on Saturday 31 December 2022.

• Garden waste:There will be no garden waste collections between Monday 26 December 2022 and Friday 6 January 2023. Garden waste collections will resume as usual from Monday 9 January 2023.

All other collections will stay the same.You can check your collection day at https://www.newforest.gov.uk/findyourcollection

If not reused, greeting cards and plain brown wrapping paper can be recycled from home, but any embellishments such as ribbons or sticky tape need to be removed first. The majority of wrapping paper is not suitable for recycling in Hampshire as it contains a mixture of plastic and foil, and will need to be added to general waste.

You can also recycle metal sweet and biscuit tins, and plastic bottles of all shapes and colours from home. Please check items are clean, and remove any residue, such as food or drink, before recycling

Christmas tree recycling drop-off points.

From Saturday 31 December 2022 to Sunday 15 January 2023, you can drop off your real Christmas tree for recycling at one of our designated sites in the district. We recycle the trees by chipping them. This creates mulch which is used locally. There are many drop off points within the New Forest with the nearest being -

• Fordingbridge: A338 slip road car park, SP6 1AW

• Ringwood: The Furlong long stay car park (follow signs to the designated area), BH24 1AT

If you have excess waste over Christmas and New Year, you can also take recycling and rubbish to community recycling banks: https://www.newforest.gov.uk/recyclingbanks

Or you can take excess recycling and rubbish to Hampshire County Council’s tips, also known as Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs): https://www.newforest.gov.uk/article/982/Take-rubbish-to-the-tip

Please check opening hours for the tips over Christmas and New Year.

View more information about recycling in the district over Christmas and New Year: https://www.newforest.gov.uk/christmasrecycling