Latest news: Christmas recycling changes

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Hello Subscriber,

There are some changes to recycling and waste collections over the Christmas holiday period:

Collections will take place as normal on Monday 23 December and Tuesday 24 December (Christmas Eve), and collections due to take place on Wednesday 25 December (Christmas Day) and Thursday 26 December (Boxing Day)will be collected two days later than usual.

Residents can put out an extra waste bag for their first refuse collection after Boxing Day.

Plan B will have additional recycling vehicles out for collection, including extra vehicles to collect cardboard.  If your materials aren’t collected with your recycling, please leave out for collection, and it will be collected later. These extra vehicles may look similar to refuse vehicles, but don’t worry, the materials will still be recycled.

All Community Recycling Centres will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day but open as normal on all other days. Please note that real Christmas trees can be recycled at all community recycling centres and can also be taken to the Waterton Depot from 2 January.

Visit our website to find out more about recycling and waste over the Christmas period.

Festive arrangements confirmed for Customer Services and other services

Residents across Bridgend County Borough are reminded that there will be changes to certain services offered by the council and its partners over the upcoming Christmas period.

The opening hours for Customer Services and Civic Offices will be as follows:

• Tuesday 24 December: 8.30am-4.30pm
• Christmas Day: Closed
• Boxing Day: Closed
• Friday 27 December: Closed
• Monday 30 December: 8.30am-5pm
• Tuesday 31 December: 8.30am-5pm
• Wednesday 1 January: Closed
• Thursday 2 January: 8.30am-5pm (Normal hours to resume from this point onwards)

The online My Account service will still be available throughout the festive period, which can used for a range of matters including housing benefits, council tax, highways, pest control, school admissions and more. Emergency out of hours support will be available through the council’s Customer and Community Support Unit (01656 643643).

For anyone who would like to pay respects to loved ones, Coychurch Crematorium’s grounds, Chapel of Remembrance and Cloister will be open between 10.30am and 4pm on bank holidays and Sundays. On all other days, normal winter opening hours will be in operation (Monday-Thursday 9am-5pm) and (Friday-Saturday 9am-4pm). The entrance gates will be locked 10 minutes before closing time.

Vehicle access gates to local cemeteries will be opened on Tuesday 24 December and will remain open until Friday 27 December. For New Year, the vehicle access gates will once again be opened on Tuesday 31 December and closed on Thursday 2 January. Outside of these times, pedestrian access gates will be open 24/7, as throughout the year.

Halo Leisure have also announced their festive opening hours and more information is available on their website. For information on library opening hours, visit Awen Cultural Trust’s website.

12 Days of celebrating Social Care in Bridgend

For our staff working in Social Care their roles are critical to the wellbeing of our clients, but no more so, than at this time of year.

It’s also a time of reflection, and we thought what better way than to recognise the hard work of our Social Services teams than to celebrate some of our achievements over the last year.

Here are some of our favourites:

• 278 Care experienced children and young people were recognised at this year’s Corporate Parenting Board’s Achievement Awards.
• 1st in Wales to complete Telecare digital switch over. By August 2024, a staggering 2,380 clients and 2,273 units in Bridgend County Borough had been successfully installed for the switchover.
• The Carers Wellbeing Service supported 1249 unpaid carers, by offering information, advice, and proportionate assessments within the community.
• Following the launch of the Signs of Safety strength-based model of practice in March 2023, to date 320 practitioners have completed training.
• 16 people took part in our Pathways to Care training programme and thanks to the scheme five participants are now working within our Social Care teams. 

Join our Social Care team in 2025 and be part of next year’s achievements.

Visit our website for more information and to apply for current opportunities.

New date announced for White Ribbon 5k

The White Ribbon 5K due to take place in November has now been rescheduled to Sunday 2 February 2025, with registration beginning at 10.30am.

All participants who registered for the postponed November event will not need to re-register as your entries are still valid.

More information will be announced in due course!

Visit the White Ribbon UK website to read more about this worthy cause.

Considerate Parking in Bridgend County Borough

As the festive season soon approaches, residents are reminded about the importance of considerate parking across Bridgend County Borough.

It has recently been highlighted of the challenges posed by inconsiderate parking, which can lead to ‘lock outs’ for essential services like waste services, ambulances, and fire engines.

With more friends and family visiting during the holidays, please be mindful of where you park to allow smooth waste collections and keep our roads clear for emergency services.

Shop local: Spend Christmas in your town centre!!

Take advantage of the free parking offer at council-maintained car parks throughout Bridgend County Borough, and shop local for your Christmas shopping!

• The Rhiw, Bridgend (first three hours)
• John St car park, Porthcawl (12pm - 3pm)
• Llynfi Rd, Maesteg (all year)

Also, did you know that you can now book a table online at restaurants in Bridgend, Porthcawl and Maesteg through our ‘Digital Christmas’ website.

Shop local this Christmas and support our local businesses.

School Essentials Grant reminder

The cost of the festive season can be overwhelming – but you’re not alone.

Check if your child is eligible for help with school costs. They could be entitled to up to £200 through the School Essentials Grant, and more.

The Welsh Government grant is open to all compulsory school year groups from Reception to Year 11 and each eligible learner will be entitled to a grant of £125. However, pupils in Year 7 will receive £200 due to the increased costs of starting secondary school.

The grant can be used to pay for:

• school uniforms and footwear
• sports equipment and kit
• school activities, including musical lessons, school trips and after school clubs
• classroom essentials, including pens, pencils and school bags
• laptop or tablet if you cannot loan it from the school

A full eligibility criteria is available on our website and families are entitled to claim once per child, per school year. The 2024 to 2025 scheme is now open and will close on 31 May 2025. 

To apply for the School Essentials Grant, please visit our website.

Reminder: Christmas is approaching, and so is an increase in waste!

As we prepare for the festive season, many of us will find ourselves with more waste than usual, from extra packaging to old furniture and electrical items. It’s crucial to handle this waste responsibly!

As a householder, you have a duty to ensure that your waste is disposed of properly. When hiring a waste carrier, make sure they are licensed to manage your waste.

You can verify if the waste carrier is registered by visiting the Natural Resources Wales website.

By ensuring that your waste is safely disposed of by an authorised individual or organisation, we can all contribute to a cleaner, healthier environment.

Give blood and save lives!

The need for blood has never been more important. Can you help? Welsh Blood Service need more people from the Bridgend area to sign up as donors to help patients across Wales.

Appointments are available at:

• 30 December- Asda Bridgend
• 8 January- Bridgend Designer Outlet

Please be advised that if you have recently had a Covid-19 vaccination, then you must wait two days before making a blood donation.

Book your appointment to help save lives today.

We are recruiting!

We have several exciting job opportunities available and are currently recruiting for the following positions:

• Social Worker - MASH - Children's Services
• Learning Support Assistant - Nantyffylon Primary
• Cleaner - Corporate Cleaning Services
• Deputy Headteacher - Coety Primary School
• Caretaker / Cleaner- Cwm Calon Community Hub

Find out more about current vacancies and apply online today.

Sign up to our new weekly jobs bulletin to be the first to know about our latest job opportunities.

The bulletin will be sent straight to your inbox, all you need to do is sign up online.

Find out more and sign up online today!

Emergency support is available

We would also like to remind residents that a range of emergency support continues to be available:

• Domestic abuse support – Assia Domestic Abuse Service call 01656 815919 or email assia@bridgend.gov.uk
• Bridgend Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub - report concerns about a child to 01656 642320 or mashcentra@bridgend.gov.uk. Report concerns about adults to 01656 642477 or adultsafeguardingMASH@bridgend.gov.uk
• Mental Health telephone advice and guidance is available as an alternative to the drop-in clinics at ARC in Bridgend County Borough 9.00am – 4.30pm Monday – Friday. Call 01656 763176, email ARCInformationandAdvice@bridgend.gov.uk or visit Assisting Recovery in the Community (ARC) webpage for more information.

Contacting the council

Residents are asked to use the online My Account and use the webchat on our homepage by clicking the Oggie icon, complete an online contact us form or call 01656 643643.