Bournemouth, Christchurch, Eco & Environment, Poole | Posted on December 8th, 2025 | return to news

Revised bin collection times for Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole

There are changes to collection days in the BCP Council area from Christmas Day right through to Saturday 17 January 2026.

During the period between Christmas and New Year, people are often confused about what day it is. To add to that confusion, bin collection days are adjusted.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council is advising residents to check and take note of their revised collection date(s) and to have their bins out by 5am on the day to avoid any missed collections this Christmas and New Year.

There are changes to collections from Christmas Day right through to 17 January.

There will be no bin collections on: Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

Thursday 25 December collection will be Monday 29 December;
Friday 26 December – Tuesday 30 December;
Monday 29 December – Wednesday 31 December;
Tuesday 30 December – Friday 2 January;
Wednesday 31 December – Saturday 3 January;
Thursday 1 January – Monday 5 January ;
Friday 2 January – Tuesday 6 January;
Monday 5 January – Wednesday 7 January;
Tuesday 6 January – Thursday 8 January;
Wednesday 7 January – Friday 9 January;
Thursday 8 January – Saturday 10 January;
Friday 9 January – Monday 12 January;
Monday 12 January – Tuesday 13 January;
Tuesday 13 January – Wednesday 14 January;
Wednesday 14 January – Thursday 15 January;
Thursday 15 January – Friday 16 January;
Friday 16 January – Saturday 17 January

The council advises that teams will be unable to collect additional bags of rubbish that are left next to or on top of bins.

Extra waste can be recycled or disposed of at one of your local BCP Recycling Centres located at Millhams, Longham; Wilverley Road, Christchurch; or Nuffield, Poole.

Skips, bin deliveries, and bulky waste collections will not operate during this period.

All recycling centres are open 9am to 4pm daily, but there will be reduced opening hours and festive closures on:

Christmas Eve, Wednesday 24 December (closed from 1pm)
Christmas Day, Thursday 25 December (closed)
Boxing Day, Friday 26 December (closed)
New Year’s Eve, Wednesday 31 December (closed from 1pm)
New Year’s Day, Thursday 1 January 2026 (closed)

Cllr Andy Hadley, portfolio holder for Climate Response, Environment and Energy, said: “Christmas and New Year are a time for rest and relaxation, and no-one wants the stress of missing a bin collection. As there will be temporary changes to our collection schedules, please, plan ahead, and let our teams do the rest.

“Our commitment to reducing environmental impact continues throughout the Christmas period, so we encourage residents to recycle wherever possible and make use of reuse facilities for unwanted items.

“I would like to say a huge thank you to our dedicated refuse teams for tirelessly working throughout the year and especially during most of the festive period to keep our homes and streets clean. Please support them by recycling where possible and ensuring your bins are placed out on time.” 

If you run a business in Bournemouth, Christchurch or Poole and use the council’s commercial waste services, please note commercial waste collections will not be operating on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Catch-up collections will take place on Friday 26 December (Boxing Day), Saturday 27 December and Saturday 3 January.

The commercial weighbridge at Poole Recycling Centre will be closed from 24 December until 5 January.

The commercial weighbridge at Bournemouth Recycling Centre will be open until 12.30pm on 24 December, then closed until 5 January.

Visit the bins, waste and recycling section of the council’s website for information about bin collections, recycling centre opening times and commercial waste collections over Christmas and New Year.

Tags: #bcpcouncil, #wastecollection