Waste and recycling at Christmas

Date updated: 5/12/2024

Changes to waste and recycling collection

If you live in a property which does not have a bin store (and therefore place City of London bags on the street for collection between 6.30-7.30pm to comply with time banding), place your bags out for collections only on the days specified below.

Due to the festive period, evening collections will be completed slightly earlier than usual.

Christmas trees collection

Real Christmas trees will be collected for recycling between 27 December and 17 January 2024. To book this service, call the City of London Contact Centre on 020 7606 3110.

Please ensure all Christmas decoration have been removed. Your trees will be mulched and used in parks and gardens.

If you live on an estate, contact your Estate Office for details of Christmas tree skip locations. Please do not dump your tree on the street.

Tips and advice

Christmas can be a wasteful time of the year. Here are a few pointers to help reduce waste over the festive period.

Food

Briton’s bin 3.5m mince pies each Christmas. The average family of four can save over £60 per month by reducing their food waste. Love Food Hate Waste have a range of tips on shopping, food storage and cooking to keep food out of the bin.

Don’t forget to recycle any unavoidable food waste such as tea bags, vegetable peelings or bones in your food waste caddy.

Most properties within the City of London can recycle their food waste. Find out what you can put in the food compost bin.

Wrapping paper

Each year, the UK uses 227,000 miles of wrapping paper. However, not all wrapping paper is recyclable. Scrunch up wrapping paper, only recycle it if it stays scrunched up. More sustainable alternatives include fabric or reusing paper we may already have, old newspapers, maps or calendars.

If your paper stays scrunched up, you can place it in your clear recycling bag to be recycled. Find out more about what can be recycled in your clear recycling bag.

Unwanted Christmas presents

Unwanted presents need not end up in the bin. Consider giving them to a friend, donate to a charity shop, or bring along to the next Give and Take Day event.

Bulky items

Having a clear out after Christmas? A bulky waste service is provided to all residents. Contact your Estate Office or concierge to find out more, charges may apply.

What else can I recycle?

Items like mince pie cases, plastic and metal biscuit tins and tin foil can all also be recycled in your clear recycling bag.

The City of London has lots of places you can recycle unwanted household batteries and don’t forget they can also be returned to many retailers in the Square Mile including Boots, Robert Dyas, Sainsburys, Tesco, etc.

Check out our recycling A-Z for further information on what can be recycled.