Reminder to householders of 2025 festive recycling changes

Orkney Islands Council is reminding householders there will be reduced kerbside recycling collections over the festive period.

This is because skeleton collection staff on duty over the festive season are required to keep up with waste collections for everyone, and recycling collections for trade customers.

As a result, and as with previous years, there will be no household kerbside recycling collections during the festive period.

All householders are asked to note that in effect this means one of their kerbside recycling collections is 'skipped' over the festive period – meaning a longer break (eight weeks rather than the usual four) between some recycling streams, as follows:

• Areas 1-8: The week starting 24 November 2025 is the last kerbside collection of paper and metals, before the next collection of these streams during week starting 19 January 2026. There will be no recycling collection during the week commencing 22 December.
• Areas 9-15 and Shapinsay: The week starting 1 December 2025 is the last kerbside collection of plastic bottles and glass, before the next collection of these streams during the week starting 26 January 2026. There will be no recycling collection during the week commencing 29 December.

This does not affect the islands where recycling is not collected at the kerbside.

Household waste collections will continue over the festive period, with changed dates for most areas due to the public holidays. The festive collection dates will be available on the Council website at www.orkney.gov.uk/mybins. You can also look up your collection area via this link.

Our Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs) will also be open as normal except on the public holidays (25 and 26 December 2025 and 1 and 2 January 2026), with the exception of Cursiter HWRC which will close at 3.45pm 24/12/25 and it will reopen at 8am 05/01/26.