 Slight changes to bin collections next week
Our crews will take a well-deserved rest and spend time with their families on Boxing Day (next Monday, 26 December). All rubbish and recycling collections next week will be one day later than normal.
Please note:
- Our crews will work on bank holidays (Tuesday 27 December and Monday 2 January) and Saturday 31 December. Collections will start from 5.30am on these days. Please put out your waste the night before.
- Garden waste collections will follow the same schedule.
- Normal service will resume from Monday 2 January.
For more details, visit our website or download the revised collection schedule.
 Christmas 'Treecycling' for charity
The nationwide charity Sue Ryder is encouraging residents in the Thames Valley area to recycle their real trees through its Christmas Treecycling service. In return for a donation, volunteers from the charity will collect your real Christmas tree.
The programme helps raise vital funds for Sue Ryder to continue its compassionate end-of-life care and bereavement support to people in need.
Collections will run from Monday 9 January to Thursday 12 January 2023 in most postcodes in the borough.
Booking for a Christmas tree collection should be made online before 4 January 2023.
Please note Sue Ryder collection has a tree limit of 10 feet and all decorations and pots should be removed beforehand.
If you have any questions, please contact Sue Ryder by calling 0118 9550 433 or emailing at thamesvalley.fundraising@sueryder.org.
 Make the most of Christmas food
Many of you will be busy preparing Christmas meals with your family and friends. During the festive period, it's easy to waste food whether you're hosting Christmas dinner at home or throwing a festive lunch or party at work.
It will save you money if you know how to reduce food waste, so please spare some time to read these tips:
Freeze cooked or uncooked food
Increased freezer use can cut food waste by half, saving an average family £250 per year.
Many people throw away food that is close to its use-by date without realising they could freeze it and keep it for later. The Food Standards Agency advises that it is safe to freeze food right up until the use-by date.
You can freeze most food including raw and cooked meats, fruit, potatoes (after boiling for five minutes), grated cheese, and eggs. Love Food Hate Waste has an A-Z on food storage including how to freeze different types of food.
Be creative with leftovers
Check out some creative recipes for reinventing your Christmas leftovers on the Love Food Hate Waste website.
To store your leftovers, cool and cover them, and then put them in a fridge or freezer within one to two hours. Splitting leftovers into smaller portions will cool food quicker. It may also be more convenient to defrost portioned meals later.
 Recycle or home compost food waste
If you can't finish all leftovers, put them in your food waste bin. We will collect and turn them into fertiliser for farmers' fields.
You can also home compost most of your Christmas food waste, such as vegetables and fruit peelings, egg shells, nut shells, tea leaves and coffee grounds. Never compost cooked food, meat or fish.
Home composting can be done all year round, even during winter. It is a straightforward and inexpensive way to avoid sending food waste to landfill, while providing a self-made supply of nutrients to your garden.
Find out how to set up home composting on the Recycle Now website.
If you want to get a compost bin and other accessories, visit the Get Composting website.
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