THURROCK Council has this week announced its Christmas collection schedule.

There will be no collections after Friday, December 21, until Thursday, December 27, when the previous Monday schedule will be collected, with Tuesday’s collected on the Friday (December 28).

Scheduled Wednesday collections will be picked up on New Year’s Eve, and Thursday’s on Wednesday, January 2.

The Friday collections will be on Thursday (January 3) and normal rounds will start again on Monday, January 7.

Cllr Victoria Holloway, portfolio holder for environment, pictured, went to the council’s West Thurrock depot on Monday to see the bags that are being given away to residents.

She said: “Some families find that they have to put their recyclable waste into their green or grey bins at Christmas because the blue one gets filled up really quickly.

“This year we are working with are partners Nordic Recycling to provide clear plastic bags for extra recycling which can be placed beside the blue bin on collection day over the Christmas and New Year holiday.”

The bags will be available from the council offices, libraries and area offices, from village stores and the council’s waste and recycling team will be at a number of local supermarkets across the borough handing them out over the next few weeks.

Cllr Holloway said: “This is the first time that we have been able to provide recycling bags to our residents thanks to Nordic Recycling, the company that handle all of Thurrock’s recycling.

“This is a way people can continue to recycle wherever possible.”