Changes to council services over Christmas and New Year

Hastings Borough Council’s offices will be closed from 12.30pm on Wednesday 24 December and will reopen on Monday 5 January 2026. 

Waste and recycling collections will be slightly different over Christmas and New Year. You can check your collection days at anytime using the council’s waste collection lookup. Waste and recycling collections will return to normal from Monday 12 January 2026. 

Bulky waste collections will be suspended from Thursday 25 December and restart on Friday 2 January 2026. Garden waste collections are also suspended from Thursday 25 December and will restart on Thursday 8 January 2026.  

Although waste collections have changed over Christmas, what can and cannot be recycled has not. Please remember wrapping paper with glitter and foil and cards with glitter cannot be recycled. 

There are still lots of items that can be recycled, including:

• Envelopes
• Wrapping paper that passes the 'scrunch' test - if the paper doesn't spring back when you scrunch it, it can be recycled
• Christmas cards – with glitter, ribbon, etc removed.
• Food and drinks cans
• Metal lids from bottles and jars
• Clean kitchen foil and foil food trays
• Plastic food pots, tubs, and trays
• Glass bottles and jars (lids off please)
• Batteries and small electrical items (These must not be put in the bin. On your collection day, please place them in a small carrier bag on top of either your green or black bin or in weekly collection areas, next to your black bags or seagull-proof sack). 

Read a full list of what can and can’t be recycled. 

For those signed up for the council’s garden waste service, Christmas trees can be placed in brown bins for collection. These need to be cut into four-inch pieces so it is fully contained in the bin. Whole trees will not be collected. Garden waste collections restart on Thursday 8 January 2026.  

To give you another way of recycling your real tree, while also supporting a local charity, Hastings Borough Council is pleased to have partnered with St Michael’s Hospice for this year’s Just Helping Christmas Tree-Cycle Appeal.  

This appeal is on a mission to help residents recycle their Christmas trees and has so far recycled over 73,000 trees nationally, while raising funds for charity. 

When you book a Christmas tree collection, volunteers from St Michael’s Hospice will visit your home on an agreed day and collect your tree. Trees will then be chipped locally and used to help maintain public spaces across the town.  

There is a small, suggested donation for the service, which supports the charity. Collections can be booked online at Just Helping before Monday 5 January, for collections that week.  

Trees can also be taken to the local household waste recycling site. You must book a slot in advance before visiting. Find details of opening hours and how to book. 

Over the festive period, there will also be changes to other services. Please check our dedicated webpage for changes, dates of free parking in council-owned car parks, and where to report any issues during the council office closure. 

Cllr Glenn Haffenden, Leader of Hastings Borough Council, explained: "Even though Hastings Borough Council’s offices will be officially closed over Christmas and New Year, there will still be lots of council staff working, including those managing the out-of-hours service, Cemetery and Crematorium and Hastings Museum & Art Gallery. 

“If anyone has any issues during the office closedown, these can easily be reported using My Hastings. This includes reporting missed bins, fly tips, problems with car parks, dog fouling and noise complaints. My Hastings also allows council tax and benefits accounts to be linked, so payments and details can be checked anytime, anywhere. 

“For any emergencies or issues that require urgent attention, please contact the council's 24/7 out-of-hours service on 01424 451999.”