Great news for households in the Byron Shire this holiday season with Council once again doing extra wheelie bin collections.

For two weeks, from Monday 29 December to Friday 9 January, all wheelie bins will be collected.

This includes red, yellow and green bins for urban households and red and yellow bins for rural households.

“We know the bins are normally very full after Christmas and while we don’t like to see extra waste being generated, we also don’t like to see overfull bins spilling over with rubbish, particularly plastic, ending up in the gutters, creeks and the ocean,” Danielle Hanigan, Manager Waste and Resource Recovery, said.

“Council has been offering this service to residents for several years now and it is very well received, but reducing waste is always our focus” Ms Hanigan said.

“We are really hoping that people will make an early New Year resolution and take on the challenge of reusing, recycling and saying ‘no’ to single use items like coffee cups,” Ms Hanigan said.

A few tips to get you started:

• Use old newspapers, kids’ paintings, pillowcases or fabric to wrap presents. Most wrapping paper cannot be recycled.
• Plan for leftovers. The freezer is your friend and ask guests to bring an empty container with them so they can take leftovers home with them.
• If you are hosting a party or Christmas lunch pick up some extra glasses and crockery at the local op shop or our tip shop.

Bin services will run on public holidays. All bins should be put out the night before their normal collection day, with the lids closed.