At a Glance
- Bin collection days change over Christmas and New Year – revised dates available online and via the app
- Garden waste collections pause on 22 December and resume on 13 January
- New free bookable real Christmas tree collection service starts on 2 January
- Seven Christmas tree drop-off points open across the city from 29 December to 16 January
- Household Waste & Recycling Centre opening times change over the festive period
With Christmas just around the corner, Southend-on-Sea City Council is encouraging residents to plan ahead for their festive waste and recycling.
To make things easier, the Council has introduced two brand-new services designed to help residents recycle their real Christmas trees quickly and responsibly.
Garden waste collections will pause from Monday 22 December and resume on Tuesday 13 January 2026, so residents who want their real Christmas tree recycled before then have three options:
- Book a free collection service (available from 2 January 2026)
- Take it to one of six new car park drop-off points (available 29 December to 16 January 2026)
- Or visit a Household Waste and Recycling Centre
Residents are asked not to leave their Christmas tree out on their normal waste or recycling collection days as these are not collected in the same trucks.
Changes to bin collections
Due to the Christmas and New Year bank holidays, some collection days will change.
For further information please visit our website.
Please put bins out by 7am on your revised collection day.
Councillor Lydia Hyde, Cabinet Member for Climate, Environment and Waste, said:
“We’re pleased to improve the doorstep Christmas tree collection service with personal booked slots, and to introduce the new collection points across the city. This makes it easier than ever for residents to recycle and keep our streets looking great.”
Download the Southend Waste App for reminders and updates to the collection dates or visit our Recycling At Christmas webpage.
New services for Christmas tree recycling
This year, the council has made it easier than ever to recycle your tree:
Free bookable tree collection service
You can arrange for your real Christmas tree to be collected by completing a ‘request collection’ form, available from Friday 2 January 2026.
After you submit the form, you will receive confirmation of the date to place your tree at the edge of your property. Please make sure it is out from 7am on your allocated day.
Before collection, please remove all decorations, tinsel, pots, and stands. Cut trees over 6ft in half.
Christmas tree drop-off points
For those who prefer to dispose of their tree sooner, seven new temporary deposit points will be available from 29 December to 16 January:
- Belfairs Park (SS9 4LR)
- Shoeburyness Park (SS3 9SF)
- Priory Park (SS2 6NB)
- Chalkwell Park (SS0 8NL)
- Shoeburyness Common (South) Car Park (SS3 9HG)
- Southchurch Park (East) (SS1 2XE)
- St Laurence Park
These sites will be fenced, clearly signed, and monitored. Staff will be on-site Monday to Friday, 9am to 3pm. Deposit points will be closed at weekends.
For further details please visit our website.