Kirklees Together

As 2023 draws to a close, and advent calendars are well underway, we have released the bin calendars for 2024 and collection dates for the Christmas period.

When will bin collections end in December?

Household bin collections will continue as normal, up to and including Friday 22 December.

The bin collection crews will take their annual break during the week between Christmas and New Year. There will be no domestic bin collections between Monday 25 December – Monday 1 January, and collections will restart on 2 January.

For residents whose bin collections would normally fall on a Monday, you will receive a special collection on Friday 22 December, and all those affected should have received a letter to confirm this.

What can I do with excess waste?

Any households who find they have excess waste this Christmas can leave up to two tied bags of general waste at the side of their grey bins for collection on their first grey bin collection day in January. Extra cardboard can also be left flattened behind green bins for collection on the first recycling collection. Please remember to remove all Styrofoam and plastic packaging before recycling any cardboard. Any excess will only be collected during the first grey and green collections in 2024.

What about household waste centres?

The five Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) will operate on their usual Christmas opening hours throughout holidays :

• Monday to Saturday 8am-4pm
• Sundays 9am- 4pm.

HWRCs will be closed:

• Christmas Day
• Boxing Day
• New Year’s Day

Trade Waste and street cleaning will still be offering services over Christmas.

What about potential strike action by Suez staff?

There may be some disruption to collections in the new year as Suez staff have voted to take industrial action, with the proposed date or dates not yet known. The council is working together with Suez, the external company that operates Kirklees waste recycling, incineration facilities and HWRCs, to ensure services run as smoothly as possible in the event of any industrial action taking place. Any further updates to the proposed industrial action will be communicated on the bins webpage and the council’s social media.

Councillor Yusra Hussain, Cabinet Member for Culture and Greener Kirklees, said:

“No one wants to worry about waste over the festive period, but we know that no matter how hard we try, extra waste and recycling is often generated at this time of year. This is why we release our Christmas collection dates, excess policy, and 2024 calendars in plenty of time for residents to plan accordingly.

“As usual, we’re collecting excess waste and recycling presented at the first collections of the New Year. If you need them, our Household Waste Recycling Centres are open as normal over the Christmas period, closing only on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day. You can even donate items for our Reuse Shop at Emerald Street and Weaving Lane HWRCs, perfect if you’re having a post-Christmas clear-out to make room for new toys.

“We’re aware of potential industrial action from our partner Suez’s staff which may have an impact on January collections. While this is outside our control, we are working with Suez and our bin crews are doing everything they can to keep disruption for residents to a minimum.”

Collection calendars for bin collections for 2024 are now available online and residents can find out when their bin collections are on the council website or by logging into their My Kirklees account. Residents can also subscribe to email bin reminders to make sure they never miss a collection.