If you’re enjoying a real Christmas tree this year, make sure you recycle it afterwards. If you are signed up to our garden waste service, simply put it in your garden waste bin. The service can accept branches up to 10cm think. If you are not signed up to the garden waste service, or your tree has thicker branches, just bring your tree along to any of these drop-off points by Sunday 16 January: 

• Lewes: Brook Street car park
• Newhaven: Bay Vue car park
• Peacehaven: Piddinghoe Avenue car park
• Seaford: Richmond Road car park, or Buckle car park

Keep an eye out for your new kerbside recycling calendar

Over the next two weeks we are sending out the new kerbside recycling collection calendars. Please refer to this for your recycling collection dates, including this December - which may be different to your current calendar.

You can download a copy of your recycling collection calendar via EnvironmentFirst.co.uk . There is also the option to add your recycling collection dates to your electronic calendar in just a couple of clicks. 

Christmas bin collections

Alongside your recycling calendar we have sent you a flyer showing your refuse and food waste collections around Bank Holidays between Christmas and New Year. This information is also available via our website at www.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/bins-waste-and-recycling/christmas-bin-collections-and-tree-recycling

Due to the way the Bank Holidays fall over Christmas, we will take a bit longer than usual to catch up with our collections this year. Please bear with us and check the flyer for your collection dates over this period.

The flyer also has information on Bank Holidays during 2022. 

Your usual bin collection dates can be found here

It's quiz time!

Test your Christmas recycling knowledge with a quiz. You might be surprised by the fun facts and top tips. 

Garden waste service renewals

Our annual window for renewing your garden waste collections via our website opens on Wednesday 5 January 2022 via lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/GardenWaste

From Thursday 3 February 2022 we will also accept renewals over the phone. In February we will write to all customers who have yet to renew with details of how to do this.

The closing date for renewing your service is 31 March 2022 but to ensure there is no break in your service and to allow time for your new permit to arrive,  please try to renew by the 17^th March.

The service costs £70 per year and collections are fortnightly. You can also order a second bin at half price. All the garden waste we collect gets recycled into soil conditioner to be reused by farmers and gardeners.

The explosive problem with batteries

Throwing dead batteries in the bin can cause fires. On average one fire is caused per day at refuse centres in the UK.

The UK will use 189 million batteries over Christmas. Unlike many other household items, batteries cannot be placed in either your waste or recycling bin at home.

Batteries in bins can become damaged and start to burn. In 2021 there were several serious fires in East Sussex waste sites caused by batteries. 

You can recycle batteries by taking them to your local household recycling site or to a shop or supermarket as many take back used batteries. 

The best thing for the environment is to reduce the amount of batteries we use. Why not make this year's New Year Resolution to buy rechargeable batteries? They have come a long way in recent years and will last for around 700 charges!

Orange bin tags: what are they and what should I do if I have one on my recycling bin?

Our collection crew will place an orange tag on your recycling bin if they see items we don’t collect and can’t recycle (known as contamination). The crew will tick the boxes on the tag to show what items can't be recycled.

What is contamination?

Common items of contamination in dry recycling bins include food, clothing, wood, garden waste, food and drink cartons, wet paper, polystyrene and black bags that look like rubbish. If there is too much contamination in a lorry full of recycling, the entire load has to be rejected at the processing plant.

What should I do if my recycling bin has an orange tag on it?

All you need to do is remove the items we don’t collect then remove the orange tag and put your bin out on your next recycling collection day.

For a full list of what you can recycle and of our other waste services please visit www.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/bins-waste-and-recycling