Extra recycling collections will be carried out in Wolverhampton for households whose normal collections are affected by the Christmas holiday, the city council has announced.
Recycling in black bins is collected fortnightly in the city. However, recycling crews will not be working on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day which all fall on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this year.
Recycling crews will be working as normal on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
If people’s normal recycling collection day falls on December 24, 25 or 26 they will receive an extra collection the following week to make up for the fact their recycling will not be taken over Christmas.
If people have too much recycling to fit inside their black bin by the time of the extra collection, crews will take away excess recycling that is placed next to the bin as long as it is in an open container such as a cardboard box or the old green plastic recycling box.
Excess recycling placed in bin liners will not be collected because plastic bags cannot be recycled.
Residents are also advised that Christmas wrapping paper is not recyclable and nor are bulky plastics like children’s toys.
Councillor John Reynolds, Wolverhampton City Council’s cabinet member for City Services, said: “We have made it much easier for people to recycle in Wolverhampton. The vast majority of household waste – including cardboard, paper, glass bottles and jars, foil, tin cans, cartons and plastic packaging (e.g. bottles, yoghurt pots and margarine tubs) can now all be put together in the same black bin which is collected fortnightly from the kerbside.
“Our recycling crews will not be working from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day, so if people’s normal recycling collection date coincides with that we are putting on extra collections the following week to make sure people don’t go four weeks without a recycling collection.
“Because we know there is likely to be more recycling produced at this time of year with cardboard and plastic packaging from all those Christmas presents and food, if people’s black bins are full we will collect excess recycling if it is placed next to the bin in an open container that the crews can see inside like a cardboard box or the old green plastic recycling box.â€
Anyone whose normal recycling collection day falls on December 24, 25 or 26 will shortly be receiving a mini-calendar through their letter box clearly saying when their extra collection will be.
Non-recyclable waste in brown bins and food waste is collected weekly and while there will be no collections from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day, collections will return to normal the following week.
Excess non-recyclable waste will be taken as a one-off providing it is bagged up and placed next to the brown bin during the week after Christmas for households who missed their normal collection the previous week.
Residents are advised that there will be no green bin garden waste collections at all between December 24 and January 4.
The Household Waste and Recycling Centres at Shaw Road and Anchor Lane will be open as normal – apart from on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The Shaw Road site which is normally closed on Thursdays and Fridays will open especially on December 27 and 28.
More information is available from www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/
In the photo LtoR  Waste and recycling operative Simon Meredith, cabinet member for city services Councillor John Reynolds and waste and recycling operative Chris Jones.