North Devon Council is reminding residents that waste and recycling collection days will change over the Christmas and New Year period.

Residents are being asked to check the council's website to make sure they know when their collections will take place over the festive period so they don't miss out. As well as this, residents are being reminded that there will be no garden waste collections between Monday 26 December and Friday 6 January but that they will return to normal from Monday 9 January.

Reminders of the do’s and don’ts of the council’s recycling service:

DO

• display your bin, box, bag by 6am on the morning or evening before your collection 
• flatten cardboard boxes, remove any tape and put it in your brown bags. If you have too much cardboard to fit in the brown bags you can take it to your local recycling centre
• remove non-recyclable plastic film inserts from cardboard packaging before flattening it and put in the brown bag
• scrunch up tin foil, including mince pie foil cases and recycle them in your black or green recycling box
• wash and squash plastic bottles and drink cans to make more room in your recycling box and place lid back on bottle or inside bottle
• use brown paper as a recyclable alternative to wrapping paper, if tape can be removed, this can be recycled in your brown bag
• reuse leftover food where you can otherwise food waste should go in your kerbside caddy 
• separate your glass from the rest of your recycling and place in your blue box
• dispose of real Christmas trees with a trunk of 5cm or less in your green wheelie bin if you have a permit. Trees of all sizes will be accepted at your local recycling centre if your tree is too big or you don't have a permit

DON'T

• put non-recyclable items such as black plastic or items with mixed materials in your recycling. Items like crisp tubes, made of cardboard and metal and tablet blister packs, made of plastic and foil should be put in your black wheelie bin
• put tetra packs which are made from mixed materials in the kerbside recycling. You can recycle them by taking them to your local recycling centre where there is a special collection bank
• put wrapping paper or shiny and glittery Christmas cards in your recycling bags, as they are unsuitable for recycling
• recycle greasy pizza boxes because the grease they absorb means they aren't suitable for recycling, put them in your black bin instead
• put carrier bags, cling film or plastic film in the recycling box. However, some types of plastic film can be recycled in carrier bag collection points at supermarkets and at your local recycling centre
• put batteries in your kerbside collection. Take them to a recycling point at a local supermarket or to your local recycling centre

Lead member for the Environment at North Devon Council, Councillor Netti Pearson, says:  "Whilst the Christmas and New Year celebrations are undoubtedly a time to have fun, we are asking residents to please continue recycling. The festive period brings a large amount of waste so it's important that we get rid of it correctly - that means reducing, reusing and recycling where we can. If you're unsure about what goes in your bin, box or bag, please visit the council's helpful webpage. 

 "Please don't forget to present your waste and recycling for collection by 6am on your Christmas-season designated day, you can check the council's website at any time if you're unsure."

The council offices will be closed from 1pm on Friday 23 December. Lynton House, The Ilfracombe Centre and The Armory Centre will re-open again on Tuesday 3 January from 9am. Whilst the offices are closed, information about all council services can be found on their website.

Full information about which items go in the bin, box or bag can also be found on the council website. 

If you're looking to recycle a specific item, you can visit the council's helpful A-Z recycling guide.

To stay up-to-date with updates via the council's social channels.