Start With What Your Bins Can Take

Christmas leaves most homes with far more rubbish than a normal week. Before you book anything, sort what you have. A lot of it can go through your normal collections, and bin days often move over the festive period, so check your council’s website for the dates in your area.

Flatten cardboard boxes and keep them dry. Take the tape off where you can. Food scraps belong in your food caddy if your council collects them. Glass bottles and jars, cans and foil trays can usually be recycled once they have been rinsed.

Wrapping Paper and Cards

Not all wrapping paper can be recycled. Try the scrunch test: squeeze it into a ball, and if it stays scrunched it can usually go in with your paper. If it springs back open, it probably contains plastic and should go in the general waste. Anything with glitter or foil goes in the general waste too, and that includes cards. Remove ribbons, bows and sticky tape first, and check that your council accepts wrapping paper at all, as some do not.

Getting Rid of the Tree

A real tree is easy to recycle. Many councils collect them during January, either alongside garden waste or on set dates, and most recycling centres have somewhere to leave them. Rules vary, so check yours. Take off every decoration and remove the stand, pot and any netting first. Some councils ask you to cut taller trees in half.

If you already have a skip on hire for a bigger clear out, a real tree can normally go in with everything else. Just let us know what you are putting in when you book.

An artificial tree is harder to recycle because of the mix of materials. If it still looks good, offer it to a charity shop or a neighbour. If it has had its day, ask your local recycling centre where it should go.

Fairy Lights, Batteries and Old Electricals

Broken fairy lights count as electrical waste. They should not go in your home bins or in a skip. Take them to a recycling centre or a drop off point listed by Recycle Your Electricals. The same goes for the old TV, games console or toaster that a new present has just replaced.

Be especially careful with batteries and vapes. Thrown in with general rubbish, they can start fires. Our guides on batteries in skips and why vapes cause waste fires explain the risk.

When a Skip Makes Sense

New furniture arriving for Christmas often means old furniture leaving. A skip is worth considering if you are also clearing a spare room, loft or garage ready for guests or for the new year. It suits wood, broken flat pack, packaging and general household clutter that is too much for your bins.

Sofas and other upholstered seating need more thought because of the rules on persistent chemicals. Read can you put a sofa in a skip before you load one. Our skip size guide will help you work out how much space you need.

Choose Who Takes Your Waste Carefully

January is a good time for rogue operators offering to take rubbish away cheaply. You have a legal duty to make sure your waste goes to someone authorised to carry it, and you can be fined if it ends up fly tipped. Our guide to registered waste carriers shows you what to check.

Book Early Over the Holidays

If you need a skip on the road, remember that you will need a council permit and that offices may be closed for part of the holidays. A skip on your own drive avoids that. Tell us the dates you have in mind and we will let you know what is possible in your area.