South Hams residents are being urged to check their bin collection dates carefully over the Christmas and New Year period, as changes will be in place to accommodate bank holidays and increased festive waste.

South Hams District Council has confirmed that refuse and recycling collections will operate on amended schedules from Christmas Day through to early January, before returning to normal from Monday 12 January 2026.

Residents should present bins by 7am on their revised collection day. The changes are as follows:

The council has also confirmed that garden waste collections will be suspended for four weeks, from Friday 19 December 2025, resuming on Monday 19 January 2026.

This annual pause allows garden waste crews to support general refuse and recycling collections during the busiest time of the year.

Residents are reminded that real Christmas trees will not be collected this year, either as garden waste or with general collections. Trees should instead be taken to a local recycling centre.

South Hams District Council has thanked residents for their continued efforts, noting that recycling rates across the district have increased by 2.7 per cent this year, reaching 49.3 per cent overall.

The council has published, via their website, further guidance on what can and cannot be recycled over Christmas to help households reduce waste and keep collections moving during the festive period.