Christmas and New Year Recycling Guide for East Riding Residents

So you've unwrapped the presents but what to do with all the rubbish and when is the bin being emptied?

Christmas and New Year are the busiest times of the year for East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s bin collection teams.

More waste is generated during the holidays than at any other period.  

Thankfully the vast majority – such as cards, wrapping paper, cardboard boxes and leftover food – can easily be recycled and thanks to their continuing support of the council’s waste and recycling services, residents in the East Riding are officially among the top recyclers in the country.

To help people recycle even more during the festive season, the council's waste and recycling team is issuing the following festive advice:

"Download the mobile app ... and never miss a bin day!

Bin collection days will change slightly over Christmas and New Year and the easiest way to get reminders sent to you is by downloading the ‘East Riding of Yorkshire Council’ app.

Get the app for your device and join 83,000 people who have already signed up to receive reminders for their bin collection days. The reminders are simple to set up in the ‘Waste Collections’ section.

The app can also help residents with answers to waste questions. The ‘Can I Recycle It?’ section explains which items of rubbish should go in which bins by simply typing in an item you want to know about."

Councillor Paul West, the council’s cabinet member for environment and transport, said:

“The app has been a huge success since we launched it three years ago and is now the most popular way residents can find out when their bin collection days are by signing up to receive reminders.

“That way people shouldn’t miss collection days, our crews can empty their wheelie bins, and we can recycle as much waste as we can.”

Bin collection dates will change over Christmas and New Year. Normal collections will resume from Monday 6 January.  

East Riding residents can check their bin collection days on the ‘East Riding of Yorkshire Council’ app, the bin collection calendar delivered to homes or at the website https://www.eastriding.gov.uk/bins

Household waste recycling sites are open from 10am to 5pm each day, but will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. They will close at 4pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.   

Real Christmas trees can be recycled by placing them next to brown bins for collection in January or taken to household waste recycling sites. Please remove all lights and decorations.  

Blue bins can be used to recycle Christmas cards, envelopes, wrapping paper, cardboard and cardboard boxes, plastic tubs and trays, all glass and plastic bottles and jars, cans, tins, aerosols, tin foil, foil trays, books, newspapers, magazines, juice cartons, egg boxes.  

Please make sure all waste for recycling is empty, clean and placed loose in the blue bin, not in bags.

Blue bins can take any kind of wrapping paper, including foil or plastic (if it stays in a ball when you scrunch it). Please remove tape where possible.

Brown bins can be used to recycle all cooked and uncooked food waste, including plate scrapings, peelings, meat, turkey and other bird carcasses, meat bones, eggshells, tea bags and small amounts of sauces, creams and soups. Any garden waste can also go in the brown bin.  

Free kitchen caddy liners to put your food inside are available at household waste recycling sites, customer service centres, libraries, mobile libraries and leisure centres.  

Batteries should never go in your bins. Instead, take them to supermarkets and local shops which have battery recycling collection boxes or to any household waste recycling site.

Electrical items can be taken to the small electricals skip at household waste recycling sites.

Broken Christmas lights can be taken to the small electricals skip at household waste recycling sites.

Unwanted Christmas gifts can be donated to charity shops or taken to household waste recycling sites to donate them to the Reuse Shop for Dove House Hospice.  

Crisp packets and plastic bags can be recycled in some supermarkets.  

Polystyrene can’t be recycled, so please place any in your green bin.  

Clothing, shoes and textiles can’t go in your bins, so please take these to local clothing recycling banks or to charity shops.

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• Changes to Bin Collections and Opening Times for North Yorkshire Council Services Over the Festive Period