Now, you may be looking forward to the celebrations you've got planned with friends and family for this Christmas period, but you may have forgotten the sheer amount of waste these celebrations tend to produce. Plastic packaging, excess festive food, ripped envelopes and piles of discarded wrapping paper all need to go somewhere.
It is important you know which days your council will be kindly picking up your rubbish this Christmas period so you end up with over-flowing stockings, and not overflowing bins.
Bin collections this Christmas will change, so to be extra prepared, it is important to make sure you pre-plan trips to your local recycling centre, and get clued-up on how to safely dispose of the waste that the festive season inevitably brings.
Surrey County Council has shared tips on how to reduce waste this Christmas to help the environment. This includes using reusable items such as drinking cups, water bottles, makeup removers, food containers and beeswax wraps to keep food fresh instead of foil.
You can use the Surrey Recycles mobile app (Android or Apple) that allows you to check where your nearest recycling centre is, and what you can recycle there. Recycling centres allow you to get rid of items such as clothing, textiles, batteries and electronics, these items cannot be thrown in black or blue bins.
Below is a list of the borough and districts in Surrey and their changed bin collection days. It is advisable to check which day your usual bin collection is and compare it to when it will change to, and then take note.
Elmbridge Christmas and New Year bin collections
| Usual Collection Day | Revised Collection Day |
| Wednesday 25 December | Friday 27 December |
| Thursday 26 December | Saturday 28 December |
Friday 27 December | Monday 30 December |
Monday 30 December | Tuesday 31 December |
Tuesday 31 December | Thursday 2 January |
Wednesday 1 January | Friday 3 January |
Thursday 2 January | Saturday 4 January |
Friday 3 January | Monday 6 January |
Monday 6 January | Tuesday 7 January |
Tuesday 7 January | Wednesday 8 January |
Wednesday 8 January | Thursday 9 January |
Thursday 9 January | Friday 10 January |
Friday 10 January | Saturday 11 January |
On Monday, January 13, collections will return to normal and bins should be presented on your usual collection day.
Epsom and Ewell Christmas bin collections
Monday, January 6 will be the return to full, normal collection schedules.
*Collections for recycling, food and glass only.
**Collections for rubbish, recycling, food and glass
Guildford Christmas bin collections
Mole Valley Christmas bin collections
| Usual Collection Day | Revised Collection Day |
| Wednesday 25 December | Friday 27 December |
| Thursday 26 December | Saturday 28 December |
Friday 27 December | Monday 30 December |
Monday 30 December | Tuesday 31 December |
Tuesday 31 December | Thursday 2 January |
Wednesday 1 January | Friday 3 January |
Thursday 2 January | Saturday 4 January |
Friday 3 January | Monday 6 January |
Monday 6 January | Tuesday 7 January |
Tuesday 7 January | Wednesday 8 January |
Wednesday 8 January | Thursday 9 January |
Thursday 9 January | Friday 10 January |
Friday 10 January | Saturday 11 January |
On Monday January 13, collections will return back to normal and bins should be presented on your usual collection day.
Reigate and Banstead council Christmas bin collections
| Usual Collection Day | Revised Collection Day |
| Wednesday 25 December | Friday 27 December |
| Thursday 26 December | Saturday 28 December |
| Friday 27 December | Monday 30 December |
| Monday 30 December | Tuesday 31 December |
| Tuesday 31 December | Thursday 2 January |
| Wednesday 1 January | Friday 3 January |
| Thursday 2 January | Saturday 4 January |
| Friday 3 January | Monday 6 January |
| Monday 6 January | Tuesday 7 January |
| Tuesday 7 January | Wednesday 8 January |
Wednesday 8 January | Thursday 9 January |
Thursday 9 January | Friday 10 January |
Normal waste collection services will resume from Monday 13 January 2025.
Runnymede Christmas bin collections
| Usual Collection Day | Revised Collection Day |
Monday 23 December | Saturday 21 December |
Tuesday 24 December | Monday 23 December |
Wednesday 25 December | Tuesday 24 December |
Thursday 26 December | Friday 27 December |
Friday 27 December | Saturday 28 December |
Wednesday 1 January* | Thursday 2 January |
Thursday 2 January* | Friday 3 January |
Friday 3 January* | Saturday 4 January |
*Recycling (blue-lid) collections
No change to recycling (blue-lid) collections on Monday, December 30 and Tuesday, December 31.
Monday 6 January 2025 will be the return to full, normal collection schedules.
Surrey Heath Christmas bin collections
| Usual Collection Day | Revised Collection Day |
| Wednesday 25 December | Friday 27 December |
| Thursday 26 December | Saturday 28 December |
Friday 27 December | Monday 30 December |
Monday 30 December | Tuesday 31 December |
Tuesday 31 December | Thursday 2 January |
Wednesday 1 January | Friday 3 January |
Thursday 2 January | Saturday 4 January |
Friday 3 January | Monday 6 January |
Monday 6 January | Tuesday 7 January |
Tuesday 7 January | Wednesday 8 January |
Wednesday 8 January | Thursday 9 January |
Thursday 9 January | Friday 10 January |
Friday 10 January | Saturday 11 January |
On Monday January 13, collections will return back to normal and bins should be presented on your usual collection day.
Tandridge rubbish collection
Usual Collection Day | Revised Collection Day |
Wednesday 25 December | Friday 27 December |
Thursday 26 December | Saturday 28 December |
Friday 27 December | Tuesday 31 December |
Tuesday 31 December | Thursday 2 January |
Wednesday 1 January | Friday 3 January |
Thursday 2 January | Saturday 4 January |
Friday 3 January | Tuesday 7 January |
Tuesday 7 January | Wednesday 8 January |
Wednesday 8 January | Thursday 9 January |
Thursday 9 January | Friday 10 January |
Friday 10 January | Saturday 11 January |
Monday 13 January 2025 will be the return to full, normal collection schedules.
Spelthorne bin collection
| Usual Collection Day | Revised Collection Day |
Wednesday 25 December | Friday 27 December* |
Thursday 26 December | Saturday 28 December* |
Friday 27 December | Sunday 29 December* |
Wednesday 1 January | Thursday 2 January** |
Thursday 2 January | Friday 3 January** |
Friday 3 January | Saturday 4 January** |
Collections on Monday 30 December and Tuesday 31 December will occur as usual.
Monday 6 January 2025 will be the return to normal collection schedules.
*Collections for rubbish only.
**Collections for recycling only.
Waverley Christmas bin collections
| Usual Collection Day | Revised Collection Day |
| Wednesday 25 December | Friday 27 December |
Thursday 26 December | Saturday 28 December |
Friday 27 December | Sunday 29 December |
Wednesday 1 January | Thursday 2 January |
Thursday 2 January | Friday 3 January |
Friday 3 January | Saturday 4 January |
Collections on Monday 30 December and Tuesday 31 December will occur as usual.
Monday 6 January 2025 will be the return to normal collection schedules.
Woking Christmas bin collections
| Usual Collection Day | Revised Collection Day |
| Wednesday 25 December | Friday 27 December |
| Thursday 26 December | Saturday 28 December |
Friday 27 December | Monday 30 December |
Monday 30 December | Tuesday 31 December |
Tuesday 31 December | Thursday 2 January |
Wednesday 1 January | Friday 3 January |
Thursday 2 January | Saturday 4 January |
Friday 3 January | Monday 6 January |
Monday 6 January | Tuesday 7 January |
Tuesday 7 January | Wednesday 8 January |
Wednesday 8 January | Thursday 9 January |
Thursday 9 January | Friday 10 January |
Friday 10 January | Saturday 11 January |
On Monday January 13, collections will return back to normal and bins should be presented on your usual collection day.
