THANKS have been expressed to residents in Bath and North East Somerset for recycling their household waste with a reminder to look out for the Christmas and New Year collection dates.

Every household should have received a leaflet advising them of changes to the recycling and rubbish collection dates and highlighting the outstanding 60 per cent recycling rate achieved across the area, which has helped save 51,000 tonnes of waste.

Changes will impact collections which are normally scheduled from December 25 to January 10. A calendar with revised dates can be downloaded from the council website.

Changes include:

• Garden waste collections will be paused from December 7, restarting January 19.

• Recycling centres will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

• The Reuse Shop will be closed from December 21 to January 3.

Christmas trees can be collected by our garden waste team or, for a small donation, by Dorothy House. Collection can be booked on the council website

Only plain brown wrapping paper can be recycled in your blue cardboard recycling bag. Christmas wrapping paper that is marked recyclable often contains a non-paper additive, such as glitter, which cannot be recycled.

Councillor Mark Elliot, cabinet member for resources, said: “Thanks to the commitment and effort of all our residents, we have an outstanding 60 per cent recycling rate for 2024/25 here in Bath and North East Somerset. Christmas and New Year will be especially busy for our crews because waste typically increases by 30 per cent.

“To help them collect quickly as they cope with the increased amount of rubbish and recycling, especially food waste, we encourage everyone to wash, squash and sort their waste before putting it in the green recycling boxes. That will enable the crews to keep their vehicle moving and reduce traffic congestion in your road.”