Cheshire West moved four bin days last Christmas, three to Saturdays. The 2026 list follows in December; last year's dates, the tree drop-offs and the tip.

Cheshire West and Chester has not yet published its Christmas 2026 bin dates. Last Christmas it moved four collection days, and three of them went to a Saturday. Christmas Day and New Year’s Day both fall on a Friday this year, so Friday households are the ones most likely to see a change. Every other day stays as normal unless the council’s list says otherwise.

The quick answer

  • 2026 dates: not yet published. In the last two years the council’s list was online by the first half of December.
  • Christmas 2025: four days moved, three of them to a Saturday. Any day not on the list was collected as normal.
  • Garden waste stops on Friday 11 December 2026 and restarts in March.

What changed at Christmas 2025

The council’s Changes to waste collections Christmas 2025 page listed exactly four changes. Any collection day not on the list went ahead as normal.

Normal collection day Moved to
Monday 22 December 2025 Saturday 20 December 2025
Thursday 25 December 2025 (Christmas Day) Monday 22 December 2025
Friday 26 December 2025 (Boxing Day) Saturday 27 December 2025
Thursday 1 January 2026 (New Year’s Day) Saturday 3 January 2026

Two of these catch people out. The Christmas Day round was collected three days early, not late. And the Monday 22 December round was brought forward to the Saturday before, freeing that Monday for the Christmas Day round.

The pattern in earlier years

The council’s list has changed a lot from year to year:

  • Christmas 2024 had three changes. Wednesday 25 December moved to Saturday 21 December, Thursday 26 December to Saturday 28 December, and Wednesday 1 January to Saturday 4 January, according to the archived 2024 version of the page.
  • Christmas 2022 had one. The Monday 26 December collection moved to Saturday 24 December and all other dates stayed the same, according to the archived 2022 version.

In each of those years, every round that fell on Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year’s Day was moved, and Saturdays were used to fit them in. In 2026 those three days are Friday 25 December, Saturday 26 December and Friday 1 January. The council has not said how it will handle them, and we will not guess the dates. Your own round’s revised day will be on the council’s list.

When the 2026 list will appear

The same council page holds each year’s list. The 2024 list was online by 9 December 2024. On 3 December 2023 the page was still showing the 2022 dates. Expect the 2026 list in early December. We will add it here as soon as it is published. Until then, the council’s check your next collection tool shows your own round.

Garden waste stops before Christmas

Garden waste is collected fortnightly for 40 weeks a year. The council’s garden waste page says 2026 collections run from Monday 9 March to Friday 11 December 2026. There are no brown bin collections over Christmas. The permit costs £55 a bin per calendar year, however late in the year you subscribe.

Extra recycling, wrapping paper and food waste

Last year’s Christmas page gave these rules:

  • If your recycling does not fit in the bin, put the extra securely beside your recycling bin on your normal recycling day and it will be collected.
  • Foil wrapping paper, and paper or cards with glitter, cannot be recycled.
  • The weekly food waste collection takes cooked food, plate scrapings, turkey giblets, fish skin and bones, and pet food. Food caddies can be ordered from the council.

Real Christmas trees: six free drop-off parks

In January 2026 the council took real trees for chipping at six parks, between 8am and 5pm. Trees had to be free of decorations and lights. The chippings are used as mulch on shrub beds across the borough.

Town Drop-off point
Chester Westminster Park, Hough Green, CH4 8JW
Ellesmere Port Whitby Park, Stanney Lane, CH65 9AQ
Neston Stanney Fields Park, Hinderton Road, CH64 9PE
Northwich Marbury Park, Marbury Lane, CW9 6AP
Frodsham Castle Park, Fountain Lane, WA6 6SA
Winsford Knights Grange Sports Complex, CW7 2PT

The council also accepted trees at every recycling centre. It pointed residents to charity collections from Hospice of the Good Shepherd and St Luke’s Cheshire Hospice, through the Just Helping scheme. Last year’s drop-off parks are listed here. The January 2027 list has not been published yet.

The tip over Christmas

Last Christmas all seven recycling centres closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, with no other festive changes. From October the sites switch to shorter winter hours, and your car now has to be registered before you go. The Chester recycling centre winter hours page has the times for each site.

Still to be confirmed

  • The 2026 revised collection dates, expected in early December.
  • The January 2027 Christmas tree drop-off parks, expected alongside them.