Recycle it right this Christmas

We're encouraging residents to check for changes to their weekly waste and recycling collections this Christmas.

The festive season is the only time our kerbside collection days change, please check the below table for more information on this year’s revised collection dates:

There will be no brown bin or bulky waste collections from Thursday, 23 December until Monday, 10 January.

Residents will have their rubbish collected on their normal day from Monday, 10 January 2022.

Waste and recycling must be put out by 7am and the council’s waste collection crews will work until dusk each day. Unfortunately, crews will not be able to return for individual missed collections.

Christmas recycling tips

Medway’s collection crews have some top tips for recycling over Christmas and New Year:

• Christmas trees: leave any real Christmas trees next to your brown bin for collection from Monday, 10 January 2022
• Wrapping paper: if wrapping paper scrunches, put it in your blue-reusable bag. Unfortunately, foil or glittery paper cannot be recycled.
• Bottles and cans: place your bottles and cans into your white re-usable bag or clear sack.
• Use caddy liners: caddy liners will help keep food contained and your brown bin cleaner, until brown bin collections resume. Residents can buy 26 liners for just £2 from their local library or community hub.
• Snow: if it snows, services may be cancelled so check social media for updates (@MedwayRecycles or @medway_council on Twitter and search Medway Council – service updates and information on Facebook).

Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs)

The council’s HWRCs at Capstone (Chatham), Hoath Way (Gillingham) and Cuxton will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Monday, 27 December, Tuesday, 28 December, Saturday 1 January and Monday, 3 January. They will reopen as normal from Tuesday, 4 January 2022. However, if you would like to visit one of the HWRCs you must book your trip in advance using our online booking service. There is no limit to how many trips residents can book.

How to report fly-tipping this festive season

If you think rubbish has been illegally dumped in a public area you can report it to us online. Residents are encouraged to include details of where the fly-tipping is, what the rubbish is and how much has been dumped.

Thank you to our collection crews

Cllr Phil Filmer, Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Frontline Services, said: “This year our collection crews have continued to collect more waste and recycling than usual and I would like to thank them for all their hard work. Over the festive period it’s incredibly important that we all continue to recycle I would encourage residents to use their blue and white re-usable bags, if you need more you can order them online, or pick them up at your local library or community hub. Small changes, such as recycling correctly, can have a big impact on climate change and supports our ambition to achieve carbon neutrality across Medway by 2050. We all have a duty to dispose of our waste responsibly to protect our local environment and help keep Medway clean and green.”

Find out more about our Christmas waste collections