MAKE sure your Christmas is not a load of rubbish by keeping up with the festive recycling and bin collection plans at BCP Council.

It'll start with recyclable festive bin tags being sent out to all households across Bournemouth and Poole with details of the Christmas collection dates, so no one misses their kerbside collections.

For Bournemouth and Poole residents, there will be no rubbish, food (for Bournemouth) or recycling bin collections on Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year’s Day, with catch-up collections running from Saturday 21 December to Saturday 4 January. Collections may be on a Saturday and in some cases before your usual collection day.

A spokesman said: "Please put your bins out the night before collection, but if the festive merriment takes over and you forget, don’t worry, any waste – including Christmas trees – can be taken to our Household Waste Recycling Centres at Millhams, Longham; Wilverley Road, Christchurch; or Nuffield Road, Poole.

"All sites are open every day, except Christmas, Boxing and New Year’s Day – and don’t forget that plenty of your Christmas waste can be recycled, including wrapping paper (if it stays scrunched), cardboard boxes, foil from all those mince pies, plus cans, glass, plastic bottles and food containers from the celebrations."

Old or unwanted items can go to ‘new to you’, BCP Council’s self-funded scheme that supports the local community. All items for donation must be taken to either Nuffield or Millhams HWRC. The shop is open from 9am to 1pm on Saturdays and will be closed on Saturday 28 December and Saturday 4 January for the Christmas period, re-opening from Saturday 11 January. New to you is located at our Cabot Lane Depot and can be found on Facebook.

After Christmas there are several ways you can dispose of your tree as an alternative to the Household Waste Recycling Centres, said the council. Upton Country Park will be accepting old trees between 24 December and 12 January 2020 in the entrance car park; or for a small donation, the charity Diverse Abilities – that supports children and adults with profound physical and learning disabilities across Dorset – is organising a collection service by volunteers from 11-13 January 2020. Visit www.diverseabilities.org.uk/trees/ to see if your area is covered for collection and to book.

*Bournemouth and Poole residents can find out more information at bcpcouncil.gov.uk/festivebins Christchurch residents should go to dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/christmas-waste