Festive opening times and service changes

• Bins and Recycling
• Contact centre (telephone enquiries)
• Crisis grants
• Customer Service Centres
• Environmental Health & Trading Standards
• Homelessness and Housing Options
• Leisure Facilities
• Licensing
• Museums
• Planning and Building standards
• Social Work

Bins and Recycling

There will be slight changes to your waste or recycling collection day over the 2024 to 2025 Christmas and New Year period. Please check below, and leave your bin out by 6.30am.

Bins scheduled to be emptied on Monday, Tuesday and Friday of these weeks are planned to be done as normal.

Side waste

Non-recycling side waste (the sort of waste that goes in your grey-lidded bin) will not be collected at the kerbside.

But side waste that usually goes in your red- or blue-lidded bins will be collected - if it's put out on the right day.

For example:

• Excess paper/cardboard can be presented at the kerbside in cardboard boxes - as long as the materials (paper and cardboard) do not get wet - or plastic bags.
• The same applies for excess cans, metals and plastics, albeit these should be presented in plastic bags.

Plastic bags used for any type of side waste will not be taken away. Instead, the waste will be emptied out of them, and the plastic bag will be left between the top of the bin and the lid.

Food waste

There will be no food waste collections on Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 December 2024 and Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 January 2025. If you normally have your food waste collected on these dates, your next food waste collection will be Wednesday 8 or Thursday 9 January 2025. You can put excess food waste in your grey-lidded rubbish bins.

All other food waste collections will operate as normal.

Bulky uplifts and white goods

There will be no bulky uplift or white goods collection service between 23 December 2024 and 5 January 2025.

Bin-collection calendar

You can "check your bin collection days" on the "Bins and Recycling" section our website. On it, householders can type in their postcode and see their correct festive-period bin-collection date.

Commercial waste collections

Customers will receive a letter/email advising of alternative collection dates.

Christmas Tree Disposal

Real Christmas trees

Real Christmas trees can be taken to a recycling centre and put in the green waste container to be composted. Alternatively, real Christmas trees can be put out for collection with householders' grey-lidded rubbish bins until Friday 31 January 2025. The trees should be cut into manageable lengths of up to 1 metre in length.  

Electrical/fibre optic Christmas trees

Due to the electronic component in these trees, they need to be disposed of at recycling centres and placed in the "small domestic appliances" container. Broken tree lights can also be placed in this container.

Unwanted artificial Christmas trees

Artificial Christmas trees with non-electrical fittings can be placed in your grey-lidded rubbish bin for disposal or disposed of at a recycling centre.

Batteries

You can recycle most household batteries using a pink recycling bag and leaving it out with your regular kerbside collection service. Batteries are a fire hazard if not recycled properly, so do not put them in any of your bins. You can also dispose of household batteries at a recycling centre or in containers provided at supermarkets and larger shops that sell batteries.

Recycling Centres

Please refer to the booking system for opening times throughout the festive period. You will only be able to book for days and times that centres are open.

All recycling centres are closed on:

• Wednesday 25 December 2024
• Thursday 26 December 2024
• Wednesday 1 January 2025
• Thursday 2 January 2025

Sites that normally open on Tuesdays will close at 4pm on Tuesday 24 December and Tuesday 31 December.

Remember a booking is required: Find a recycling centre

Please do not leave any waste outside a closed recycling centre as this is a prosecutable offence.

Recycling and glass recycling points

Local recycling points and glass recycling points will remain available and will continue to be serviced for use over the festive period.

Contact Centre (Telephone and Email Enquiries)

The Customer Contact Centre will be closed for calls on the following dates:

• Wednesday 25 December 2024
• Thursday 26 December 2024

And also:

• Wednesday 1 January 2025
• Thursday 2 January 2025

The Out of Hours Service will operate 24 hours a day over this period, as it normally does, for emergency calls 030 33 33 3000.

The main Social Work number 030 33 33 3001 will remain open until 5pm on 24 and 31 December 2024, after which the number will be diverted to the Out of Hours Social Work team.

For the remainder of the festive period normal opening times will operate 9am to 5pm.

Crisis Grants/Scottish Welfare Fund

The Financial Wellbeing and Revenues service will be closed on the following dates:

• Wednesday 25 December 2024
• Thursday 26 December 2024
• Wednesday 1 January 2025
• Thursday 2 January 2025

Normal opening hours and contact arrangements will be in place outwith these times. 

The team will aim to contact anyone who makes an application for Crisis Support before 12noon on 24 or 31 December by the end of that day.

The quickest way for an application to be submitted and processed is to do so online at  Apply online .

Call-backs for applications will be taken by the Contact Centre on the following dates:

• From 9am to 5pm on Monday 23 December
• From 9am to 3pm Tuesday 24 December
• From 9am to 5pm on Friday 27 December
• From 9am to 5pm on Monday 30 December
• From 9am to 3pm Tuesday 31 December 

Customer Services/Registration Offices

All Customer Service Centres are closed on:

• Wednesday 25 December 2024
• Thursday 26 December 2024
• Wednesday 1 January 2025
• Thursday 2 January 2025

North West Community Campus Customer Service Centre will be closed from 19 December 2024 until 7 January 2025.

In the event of an emergency registration please call the Registration Service on 030 33 33 3000.

Environmental Health and Trading Standards

Environmental Health and Trading Standards will be closed for normal business from 4pm on Tuesday 24 December 2024 and will reopen at 9am Friday 3 January 2025.

Homelessness and Housing Options

Housing Options and Homeless Services will be closed on the following dates:

• Wednesday 25 December 2024
• Thursday 26 December 2024
• Wednesday 1 January 2025
• Tuesday 2 January 2025

Contact within these dates above should be directed to the Out of Hours number on 01387 273660 (24 hours).

On all other dates, the Housing Options and Homeless Services will be providing full telephone assistance during office hours 9am-5pm*.

• If you find yourself in need of accommodation outwith our opening times, please contact our Out of Hours service on 01387 273660.
• If you need housing options advice this can be accessed via  Housing Options Webpage
• Emergency Repairs for D&G Homeless Furnished Temporary Accommodation can be reported to 01387 271190.

*Contact details:

• 01387 260783 (Dumfries)
• 01776 888312 (Stranraer)
• 01461 207019 (Annan)
• 01557 332234 (Kirkcudbright)

Leisure Facilities

All leisure facilities are closed on:

• Wednesday 25 December 2024
• Thursday 26 December 2024
• Wednesday 1 January 2025
• Thursday 2 January 2025

Opening times outwith these days may differ:

Licensing

Licensing will be closed from 3pm on Tuesday 24 December 2024 and reopen at 9am on Friday 3 January 2025.
 

Museums and Galleries

All museums and galleries are closed on:

• Wednesday 25 December 2024
• Thursday 26 December 2024
• Wednesday 1 January 2025
• Thursday 2 January 2025

Opening times outwith these days may differ:

• Check our DG Culture Website for all festive opening hours >>

Planning and Building Standards

Please note that the Planning and Building Standards service will be closed from 3pm on Tuesday 24 December 2024 until 9am on Friday 3 January 2025.

Social Work

On 24 and 31 December the main Social Work number 030 33 33 3001 will remain open until 5pm, after which the number will be diverted to the Out of Hours Social Work team to cover weekend and Public Holidays.

For the remainder of the festive period normal opening times will operate 9am to 5pm.