Your guide to Christmas waste and recycling in Bristol

This year, make sure you’re prepared for the big clear-up after Christmas, with Bristol’s guide to recycling in the city:

Recycle your Christmas tree

Bristol’s popular kerbside collection scheme for real Christmas trees is back in January, so once you’ve taken down the decorations, remember to put your tree out.

All residents can take advantage of this scheme, which runs from Tuesday 3 until Thursday 19 January 2012. Make sure you’ve removed all the decorations, the pot and as much of the soil as possible first and then put it out on your usual collection date.

You can also take your tree to Bristol Zoo Gardens' north car park, between Friday 6 and Friday 20 January 2012, or to either of the council’s two household waste recycling centres any time throughout the year.

All the trees collected are taken for composting.

Love Food Hate Waste

Save yourself pounds and get the most out of your Christmas food by reusing your leftovers. Get recipe ideas at Love Food Hate Waste (www.lovefoodhatewaste.com).

For any remaining leftovers such as vegetable peelings and turkey bones, make sure you use your brown food waste bin, so that the food can be taken away for composting instead of going to landfill.

Or start home composting, with a discounted deal on a home compost bin from the council. You can put all your fruit and vegetable peelings as well as garden waste, cardboard, straw and hay into your compost bin. Find out more on our composting page (www.bristol.gov.uk/composting).

Recycle all that wrapping

If you can’t re-use your wrapping paper, then put it in your black box (as long as it’s paper and not plastic coated or foil).

And all your cardboard packaging, Christmas cards, glass bottles and jars can be recycled too.

For a full list of what can go in your black box, visit our Recycling, rubbish and waste section (www.bristol.gov.uk/recycling).

Get rid of your old gadgets

Don’t just bin your old electrical gadgets – from games consoles to mobile phones, hair-dryers to TVs, they can all be taken to one of the council’s two Household Waste Recycling Centres in Days Road, St Philips and Kingsweston Lane, Avonmouth. The gadgets are stripped down, with all possible parts being recycled and the hazardous chemicals disposed of.

Bank holiday collection day changes

Remember that there are likely to be changes to your collection days during the festive period, as a result of bank holidays. Residents can find these collection days in the calendar delivered to every household last month, or they can check our Rubbish and recycling collections page.

Extra waste

Don’t worry if you have a little extra waste that can’t be recycled after Christmas. The collection crews will take two additional black sacks as side waste on your first waste collection after Christmas.

Additional recycling containers

If you often produce a high level of recycling and would like to have more recycling containers, you can order additional black boxes or brown food waste caddies and bins by calling the council’s customer service centre on 0117 922 2100.

The customer service centre will have more than twice the usual number of staff available to deal with any queries residents may have about their waste and recycling throughout the Christmas period.

For more information on waste and recycling this Christmas, visit Recycling, rubbish and waste section (www.bristol.gov.uk/recycling).