Herefordshire only moves bins due on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. Last year's catch-up days, and the Monday 28 December question for 2026.

Herefordshire Council does not rearrange the whole Christmas round the way many councils do. It moves only the collections that fall on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, and every other day runs as normal. The 2026/27 replacement dates have not been published yet: on 25 September the council’s Christmas rubbish and recycling page still carries last year’s arrangements.

The quick answer

  • Only three days ever move. Bins due on Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year’s Day are collected on a later day; everything else is unchanged.
  • This year that means Friday 25 December and Friday 1 January for certain. Whether Monday 28 December, the substitute Boxing Day bank holiday, also moves is not yet confirmed.
  • Put bins out by 6.30am over the whole festive fortnight, because crews can come earlier than usual.

The standing rule

The council’s bin collection day page sets it out all year round: “We collect your recycling and general rubbish as normal on bank holidays, with the exception of Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.”

Garden waste is different. Subscribers get a two-week break over Christmas and New Year, according to the same page. The exact fortnight is announced with the Christmas dates.

What happened last Christmas

These are the 2025/26 dates, still live on the council’s Christmas page. They are not this year’s dates, but they show the pattern: the missed day is collected two days later, at the weekend.

Normal collection day Collected instead
Christmas Day, Thursday 25 December 2025 Saturday 27 December
Boxing Day, Friday 26 December 2025 Sunday 28 December
New Year’s Day, Thursday 1 January 2026 Saturday 3 January
Every other day No change

Source: Herefordshire Council, Christmas rubbish and recycling.

What changes for 2026/27

The calendar falls differently this year. According to GOV.UK, Christmas Day is Friday 25 December 2026, Boxing Day falls on a Saturday so the bank holiday moves to Monday 28 December, and New Year’s Day is Friday 1 January 2027.

That leaves three things to settle:

  • Friday 25 December and Friday 1 January collections will move. Last year’s pattern would put them on the following weekend, but the council has not said so yet.
  • Saturday 26 December has no normal collections to move.
  • Monday 28 December is the open question. The rule talks about “Boxing Day”, and the council has not said whether that covers the substitute Monday. If your bin day is a Monday, check the council page in December before you assume it will be emptied.

Christmas trees, wrapping paper and boxes

The council’s Christmas page gives the practical rules, and they carry over from year to year:

  • Real trees and wreaths: book a slot and take them to a household recycling centre, where they are composted with garden waste. Strip off decorations first. The council also points to the St Michael’s Hospice tree collection service.
  • Wrapping paper: only paper that tears easily goes in the green bin. Metallic paper that will not rip usually contains plastic and goes in the black bin. Take ribbons and bows off.
  • Cardboard boxes: flatten them into the green bin, or break big ones down to bin size and leave them beside it on collection day.
  • Polystyrene: black bin. It cannot be recycled at the kerb.
  • Batteries: in a plastic bag on top of your bin, never inside it.

The tips over Christmas

All six household recycling centres close on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day and open as normal on the other days, the council says. Every visit needs a booking. Days and hours for each site are on our tip opening times page.

Frequently asked questions

Are Herefordshire bins collected on bank holidays?

Yes, apart from Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. The council collects as normal on every other bank holiday, including Easter and the May and August bank holidays.

When will my bin be collected if it is due on Christmas Day?

For 2026 the council has not yet said. Last year, bins due on Christmas Day, a Thursday, were collected two days later, on Saturday 27 December. Christmas Day 2026 is a Friday.

Is garden waste collected over Christmas?

No. Garden waste subscribers get a two-week break over Christmas and New Year. The council publishes the exact fortnight with its Christmas arrangements.

What time should I put my bin out over Christmas?

By 6.30am. The council warns that crews may come earlier than usual over the Christmas and New Year period.

Still to be confirmed

  • The replacement days for Friday 25 December and Friday 1 January.
  • Whether Monday 28 December collections go ahead.
  • The dates of the garden waste break.

Herefordshire Council has not said when it will publish these. We will check the Christmas page again in late November and update this article. For your normal bin day, see our Hereford bin collection days page.