Good tidings we bring, to you and your bin

The council is getting ready for the annual changes to its residential bin collections over the Christmas period.

Bins will be collected as normal up until and including Christmas Eve. Then, between Friday 25 December and Sunday 10 January bins will be emptied either one or two days later than normal.

Residents can check their bin collection dates for these dates and at any time throughout the year online at www.leeds.gov.uk/mybinday.

Residents who had previously been given a new bin service calendar with festive collection dates should note that these have now changed and can check new dates at www.leeds.gov.uk/mybinday.

To help make savings, letters are not being sent to 320,000 Leeds’ households with the date changes. As well as dates being available on the council’s website, the information will be distributed through housing offices and newsletters, local neighbourhood networks, libraries, one stop centre, post offices and community centres.

As it’s the season of goodwill, reminding your neighbours that the bin collection dates will change during the Christmas period will help people avoid missing out on collection day.

Festive recycling can be taken to any of the eight recycling centres across the city, which are open 8am to 4pm seven days a week, and will close only for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

However, the planned revamp of Kirkstall Road recycling centre in an attempt to increase the city’s recycling rate and generate potential savings of £25,000 per year, means that this centre will be closed as of 4 January 2016.

For those affected by the closure, alternative sites are available at Meanwood Road and Pudsey.

Real Christmas trees can also be taken to recycling centres, but if you live in certain postcode areas, you can help raise money for St. Gemma’s Hospice and recycle your Christmas tree hassle-free.

For residents who live in LS6, LS7, LS8, LS9, LS13, LS14, LS15, LS16, LS17, LS18, LS19, LS20, LS21, LS28, LS29, St Gemma’s are offering to collect your tree in return for a donation, which can be registered online at www.st-gemma.co.uk/treecollection.

Collection dates are 7, 8 and 9 January, and this is a great opportunity for your spirit of goodwill to continue into the New Year.

To help people reduce the amount of waste they produce in the first place, the council’s team of waste advisors are offering hints, tips and ideas on Facebook and Twitter.

Follow them @LeedsWasteDocs or www.facebook.com/leedswastedocs.

Councillor Mark Dobson, executive member for environmental protection and community safety, said:

“So far this year Leeds residents have recycled over 40%, their rubbish - thanks to more frequent green bin collections and making better use of the eight recycling centres across the city.

“As the festive season approaches, we expect that the amount of black bin waste produced over Christmas will increase but that shouldn’t stop us from continuing with the excellent progress we have made towards being smarter with waste and recycling.

“By thinking ahead and preparing for this added waste, we can still enjoy the festive break and have a green Christmas.”

Information on the full range of recycling services, bin collections and recycling centres can be found at www.leeds.gov.uk.