A guide to bin collections in Windsor and Maidenhead and how to dispose of waste over Christmas

Christmas time usually sees households up and down the country accumulate more rubbish than normal – whether this be food wrappers, festive sweet tins or large quantities of discarded wrapping paper.

Well in the Royal Borough, it is no different and while waste and rubbish collection times may change over the festive period, in keeping with improving climate change, residents are encouraged to maintain good recycling and waste management practices.

But sometimes knowing where to put rubbish and what to recycle can be difficult to decipher.

Residents might also have a range of other bin related questions – what are the Christmas collection times? What goes in the blue, black bins and the food caddy? How do I obtain a new bin or an extra bin?  – and much more.

Here is a guide to answer all or hopefully most of those burning questions about waste recycling, rubbish collection and management and what to do with household waste over the Christmas period.

What are the Christmas and New Year rubbish collection times?

From Christmas Day until Monday, January 15, a revised rubbish and recycling timetable will be operating. 

As stated on the council’s website, residents are asked to put out their recycling and general rubbish by 7am on collection day and ‘no earlier than the night before’.

Only the items inside of the bins will be collected, and any extra recycling or rubbish can be taken to Stafferton Way Household Waste and Recycling Centre.

The times of collections are subject to change ‘due to unforeseen circumstances’ including major events or bad weather.

The borough is now collecting waste on Bank Holidays (excluding Christmas and New Year) and residents’ whose bins are due to be collected on a Bank Holiday are asked to present their bin at the kerbside by 7am.

Normal collections will resume from Monday, January 15.

The full revised rubbish and recycling collection dates for the Christmas and New Year period can be viewed at: https://www.rbwm.gov.uk/home/environment-and-waste/recycling-and-rubbish/holiday-collection-dates 

What happens with garden waste collections over the festive period?

The collection of garden waste is suspended from Christmas Day to Sunday, January 7 and will resume from Monday, January 8.

When are the bins collected, when should residents put them out and how?

Food waste and recycling collections (blue bin and black food waste caddy) take place every week in the Royal Borough and general waste (black bin) is collected every two weeks.

Garden waste is collected fortnightly from residents that have subscribed to the service.

Residents are asked to leave the relevant bin at the ‘front boundary’ of their property by 7am on collection day and only bins with household waste and the lid closed are collected. 

How can residents find their bin collection day and report a missed bin collection?

Residents can find their bin collection day by entering their house number and street name or postcode by clicking on the Apply for: Find you bin collection day button at: https://www.rbwm.gov.uk/home/environment-and-waste/recycling-and-rubbish/find-your-bin-collection-day 

Reporting a missed bin that has not been emptied can be done at: https://www.rbwm.gov.uk/home/environment-and-waste/recycling-and-rubbish/report-missed-bin 

What is each colour bin used for?

• The blue wheeled recycling bin is for items that can be recycled.
• The black food waste caddy is for all food waste – but residents are asked to not use it for anything that is not food waste including liquid, oil, liquid fat and packaging.
• The black wheeled rubbish bin is for waste that cannot be recycled.

What about residents who live in communal areas?

For these residents, the council provides a range of waste containers, reflecting the number of residents living in that block.

What items can go into a blue recycling bin?

Items that can be put into recycling bins in the Royal Borough are: food tins, drinks cans, aerosol cans, tin foil, paper, cardboard, glass jars and bottles, plastic bottles, tubs, pots, and trays, and Tetrapak food and drinks cartons. 

Residents are asked to wash any items that contained drink or food, to crush tins, cans and plastic, and flatten cardboard to fit into the bin as much as possible.

The council asks that residents do not put tissues or any items not listed into the bin as they will not be able to empty it.

What items can be put into a black food waste bin?

A range of items can be put in the general black food waste bin, including nappies (bagged and wrapped tightly) and disposable nappies, shiny foil gift wrap and greetings cards containing glitter, crisp packets, cat litter, plastic film and bags bubble wrap, food pouches, polystyrene packaging, sweet wrappers and any foiled coated items with plastic, and broken crockery and glassware.

The full list can be found at: https://www.rbwm.gov.uk/home/environment-and-waste/recycling-and-rubbish/household-rubbish-collections/your-general-waste 

What can be put into the food waste caddy?

Residents may put food waste (all uneaten food and plate scrapings), dairy except for milk, meat, fish and bones, egg shells, rice, pasta, beans, bread, cakes, pastries, fruit and vegetables (including peelings, stones and cores), pet food, tea and coffee grounds (including tea bags and paper coffee filters), and food past its use by date with the packaging removed, in the food waste caddy.

What can be done to reduce waste and recycle this Christmas?

As the festivities commence the council has also provided tips on what to do with food and other items used for celebrating and entertaining.

The Royal Borough has advised residents who do not have a lot of guests over the festive period to look for alternatives to a turkey – which will ‘leave a lot of bones to dispose of’.

Bones can be recycled in the food caddy and those who are entertaining are asked to avoid using throw away cardboard and plastic plates and cutlery.

Residents are also encouraged to buy recycled presents, avoid wrapping gifts in glittery or foil/plastic paper which cannot be recycled, buy reusable crackers, select festive decorations with the least packaging and plastic and those that will ‘last for years’, and if they have a real Christmas tree, to recycle it in the New Year. 

Some of the borough’s top recycling tips include taking reusable bags and your own coffee cup when visiting a Christmas market and taking off any ribbons, bows and other decorations before recycling wrapping paper.

The full list of the Royal Borough's tips to reduce waste and recycle this Christmas can be found at: https://www.rbwm.gov.uk/home/environment-and-waste/recycling-and-rubbish/christmas-all-wrapped 

What festive items can be recycled?

A host of festive items can be recycled including envelopes, Christmas cards and some wrapping paper. 

However, Christmas cards with glitter and some wrapping paper cannot be put into the blue recycling bin. 

Residents can carry out the scrunch test to identify which wrapping paper can be recycled.

To do the test residents need to remove any sticky tape or labels from the wrapping paper, scrunching it into a ball, and if it holds its shape, it can be recycled. 

How can residents recycle their real Christmas trees? 

To recycle a real tree, residents can chop up their tree into their green bin if they have one. 

Any trees that are left next to bins will not be collection.

If a tree does not fit in the bin or residents do not have a green waste subscription, they are asked to take the tree to their nearest household recycling centre.

Christmas tree collection points will also be available around the borough from Tuesday, January 2 to Sunday, January 14. 

A full list of the collection points can be found at: https://www.rbwm.gov.uk/home/environment-and-waste/recycling-and-rubbish/disposing-your-real-christmas-tree 

Where can any extra rubbish be taken? 

Any additional rubbish or recycling can be taken to the Stafferton Way Household Waste and Recycling Centre. 

The centre will be open daily from 8am to 4.15pm, seven days a week throughout the festive period, with the exception of Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. 

How can a new or extra bin be ordered?

To order a new food waste bin, recycling bin, rubbish bin or waste and recycling bags (only supplied to qualifying households), fill in the forms at: https://www.rbwm.gov.uk/home/environment-and-waste/recycling-and-rubbish/order-new-bin 

Residents wishing to report a damaged bin are asked to leave it outside the front of their property where it is visible and can be repaired if needed or removed ‘when the new bin is delivered’.

The council has advised that it is not able to supply more than one black bin per property and that a larger bin is only provided to households of six or more people, five or more people with a baby under the age of two in nappies or households where there is a medical need.

What can be done to reduce and use and maximise bin space?

The council recommends a range of ways to maximise bin space, including avoiding using single-use items, reusing shopping bags, using washable make-up pads and washing up sponges and using a refillable water bottle or coffee cup.

For more information and tips on how to reduce waste and reuse more, visit: https://www.rbwm.gov.uk/home/environment-and-waste/recycling-and-rubbish/reduce-and-reuse-maximise-space-your-bin