Christmas Opening Hours, Bin Collections and Tree Recycling

News Article

19/12/2011

Civic Centre

Visitors and callers to the Civic Centre over the Christmas and New Year period are being reminded of the revised opening hours.

The Call Centre will be open from 8am to 3pm on 23 and 30th December. It will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and the Bank Holiday on Tuesday December 27.

The usual out-of-hours emergency telephone service will operate throughout the Christmas and New Year period. The number to call is 0118 937 3737.

The Civic Centre's Customer Hub for face to face enquiries which include the reception desk, Revenues and Benefits, Planning Help Desk and Housing, will be open between 9am and 3pm on 23rd and 30th December.

The Post Office at the Civic Centre will open until 12.30pm on December 24th and until 12.30pm on New Year's Eve.

Christmas Bin Collections

The Council's bin crews will be out collecting on normal working days, but not on the Bank Holiday over the Christmas period. Residents are advised to check their calendars for revised collection dates or log on to the Council's website.

People are being encouraged to recycle as much of their Christmas waste as possible, putting cardboard, gift wrap and old cards in the red bins / boxes. People are reminded not to wrap recyclable rubbish in plastic carrier bags and also to put the right waste in their red bins / boxes - paper and card, cans, and plastic bottles only.

Reading Borough Council has nearly fifty bottle bank sites where people can recycle all their empty bottles. See the Council's website for locations and recycling tips.

Residents are being asked to make every effort to ensure that their household waste is contained in the grey bin.

Smallmead Household Waste and Recycling Centre will be open every day from 8am to 6pm, except on Christmas Day. More information can be found at the following website. Recycling Christmas Trees

As in previous years, special sites are being set up across Reading so people can recycle their Christmas trees in the New Year, between January 3rd and 31st.

The sites are at:

Mapledurham playing fields
Clayfield Copse
Kensington Road Recreation ground
Meadway Recreation ground
Main car park Prospect Park
Whitley Wood park car park
Palmer Park Sports Stadium Car Park

Trees can also be recycled as usual at the Household Waste Recycling Centre.

Alternatively people can recycle their Christmas trees using the green garden waste collection service. Trees must be chopped into pieces so they fit in the green waste bin or bag.

Sport and Leisure Centres

These will all be open during the holiday period but closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, 27 December, New Years Day and 2 January.

Please check with individual sport and leisure centres for opening and closing times over the holiday.

Reading Libraries

All Reading libraries (Central, Battle, Whitley, Palmer Park, Tilehurst, Southcote and Caversham) will be open from 9am-1pm on Christmas Eve and closed from December 25th-27th. Central and Caversham libraries will be open as normal on 28th, the others will be closed as normal that day. They will all be open as normal on December 29th and 30th and close at 4pm on New Year's Eve. The libraries will then close to the public again from January 1 - 2, before reopening with normal hours from January 3.

Reading Museum/Town Hall

Reading Museum and Town Hall will be open until 3pm on Christmas Eve and closed between Christmas and New Year. The service re-opens on January 3.