Most household recycling and rubbish collections in the New Forest district will go ahead as usual over the Christmas and New Year bank holidays.

There will be some changes to collections:
Clear recycling sacks and black rubbish sacks
Collections due on Monday 26 December 2022 will be collected on Monday 2 January 2023. New Forest District Council (NFDC) will collect extra recycling and rubbish from affected households on Monday 2 January 2023.

Glass box
Collections due on Monday 26 December 2022 will be collected on Saturday 31 December 2022.

Garden waste
There will be no garden waste collections between Monday 26 December 2022 and Friday 6 January 2023. Garden waste collections will resume as usual from Monday 9 January 2023.

All other collection days will stay the same.
Reusing and recycling Christmas waste
NFDC are reminding residents to add empty aerosols, plastic bottles, tins, cans, card and paper to their clear recycling sacks.

If not reused, greeting cards and plain brown gift wrap can be added to clear recycling sacks, but any embellishments such as ribbons or sticky tape need to be removed first.

The majority of gift wrap is not suitable for recycling in Hampshire as it contains a mixture of plastic and foil.

Christmas tree recycling
NFDC’s Christmas tree recycling drop-off points are returning from Saturday 31 December 2022 to Sunday 15 January 2023.

Residents can drop their real Christmas trees off at selected sites across the district, and the council will recycle the trees by chipping them to create mulch.

The mulch will be used locally.
Last year, over 6,000 Christmas trees were dropped off at the sites for recycling.

List of Christmas tree drop off locations:
Blackfield  
Gang Warily Community Centre Car Park, SO45 1GA 

Brockenhurst  
Brookley Road Car Park, SO42 7RA  

Burley  
Burley Coach Park, BH24 4AA 

Fordingbridge  
A338 Slip Road Car Park, SP6 1AW 

Hythe  
New Road Car Park, SO45 6BP 

Lymington  
Bath Road Car Park, SO41 3SE  

Lyndhurst  
Village Centre Car Park, SO43 7BF 

Milford on Sea 
Hurst Road East Overflow Car Park (by Sturt Pond), SO41 0PY  

New Milton  
Crossmead Avenue Car Park, BH25 6NF 

Ringwood  
Furlong Long Stay Car Park – follow signs to designated area, BH24 1AT 

Totton  
Rumbridge Street Car Park SO40 9EA  

Residents are asked to remove decorations from trees before taking it to a drop-off point.

Trees must be left in designated fenced bays only and placed at the back to avoid blocking the entrance for others.

Trees left in car parks and other locations not designated for Christmas tree recycling, will be counted as fly-tipping.

Customers who subscribe to NFDC’s garden waste collection service can recycle real Christmas trees under 6ft, as long as trees are chopped up to fit in garden waste sacks, and to not exceed the 20kg weight limit for sacks.

Residents can read more information online at https://newforest.gov.uk/christmasrecycling