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 2023 to 2024 Christmas and New Year period. Some festive collection dates may be before your scheduled collection day so please check below, and leave your bin out by 6.30am.

Bins scheduled to be emptied on Wednesday, Thursday 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-topped bin) will not be collected at the kerbside.

But side waste that usually goes in your red- or blue-topped 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

Please note, if you normally have your food waste collected on a Monday or a Tuesday then there will be no food waste collections on Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 December 2023 and Monday 1 and Tuesday 2 January 2024. If you normally have your food waste collected on these dates, your next food waste collection will be Monday 8 or Tuesday 9 January 2024.

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 18 December 2023 and 9 January 2024.

Bin-collection calendar

We have updated the "check your bin collection days" part of the new "Bins and Recycling" section of the corporate website. On it, householders will be able for the first time to 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 bank for turning into compost. Alternatively, real Christmas trees can be put out for collection with householders' grey-topped rubbish bins until Friday 26 January 2024. 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 wheeled bin for disposal or disposed of at a recycling centre.

Batteries

Household batteries should not be placed in general waste but recycled 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:

• Monday 25 December 2023
• Tuesday 26 December 2023
• Monday 1 January 2024
• Tuesday 2 January 2024

All sites will close at 4pm on Sunday 24 December and Sunday 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:

• Monday 25 December 2023
• Tuesday 26 December 2023

And also:

• Monday 1 January 2024
• Tuesday 2 January 2024

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 22 and 29 December 2023, after which the Out of Hours Social Work number will be in effect 01387 273660.

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:

• Monday 25 December 2023
• Tuesday 26 December 2023
• Monday 1 January 2024
• Tuesday 2 January 2024

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 12 noon on 22 or 29 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 3pm Friday 22 December
• From 9am to 5pm on Wednesday 27 December
• From 9am to 5pm on Thursday 28 December
• From 9am to 3pm Friday 29 December 

Customer Services/Registration Offices

All Customer Service Centres are closed on:

• Monday 25 December 2023
• Tuesday 26 December 2023
• Monday 1 January 2024
• Tuesday 2 January 2024

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 Friday 22 December 2023 and will reopen at 9am Wednesday 3 January 2024.

Homelessness and Housing Options

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

• Saturday 23 December 2023
• Sunday 24 December 2023
• Monday 25 December 2023
• Tuesday 26 December 2023
• Saturday 31 December 2023
• Sunday 30 December 2023
• Monday 1 January 2024
• Tuesday 2 January 2024

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:

• Monday 25 December 2023
• Tuesday 26 December 2023
• Monday 1 January 2024
• Tuesday 2 January 2024

Opening times outwith these days may differ:

Licensing

Licensing will be closed from 3pm on Friday 22 December 2023 and reopen at 9am on Wednesday 3 January 2024.
 

Museums and Galleries

All museums and galleries are closed on:

• Monday 25 December 2023
• Tuesday 26 December 2023
• Monday 1 January 2024
• Tuesday 2 January 2024

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 & Building Standards service will be closed from 3pm on Friday 22 December 2023 until 9am on Wednesday 3 January 2024.

Social Work

On the 22 and 29 December the main Social Work number 030 33 33 3001 will remain open until 5pm, after which the Out of Hours Social Work number will be in effect 01387 273660 covering weekend and Public Holidays.

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