Before the bins tip over with wrapping paper and the remnants of Christmas dinner, households in Scotland should get the last collection days in the diary.
The festive season is a whirlwind accompanied by a mess of boxes and clutter that can quickly become a mountain. With Christmas and New Year coming up fast, local councils have published their schedules.
So to get ahead of a pile up of rubbish and recycling, here are some key dates to know.
When will my bins be collected?
Christmas day and New Year's day both fall on a Sunday this year, which might interrupt your normal schedule. Most councils won't collect on bank holidays, so you could end up waiting a few days.
The day your bins are collected are up to your local council so you'll need to check its official website. Local authorities may leave a tag on your bin or a leaflet through the door and will most likely alert residents on social media.
For anyone with bulk excess waste, some recycling centres will be closed on Christmas and News Year's.
However, residents may find not much will be different. Some Scottish councils, like Edinburgh and Aberdeen, have said there will be no changes to bin collections on Christmas day and New Year's Day.
What can I throw away and recycle?
Most of us recycle over Christmas - but are we getting it right? Councils may have strict policies on what items can be recycled and thrown away - including Christmas trees.
Recycle Now has a handy tool allowing you to enter your postcode and find out what you are able to recycle via your household collection.
Here is a useful list of what can and cannot be recycled:
Christmas trees
Some local authorities have special collections or organise drop-off points for real Christmas trees.
They can also be taken to some household waste recycling centres - but you should check with your council.
Wrapping paper
Due to the make-up of wrapping paper and the amount of sticky tape, some local authorities do not accept wrapping paper for recycling due to problems at recycling plants.
Christmas cards
Most cards are paper based and can be recycled along with their envelopes.
This can be done at home, household waste recycling centres or at banks in supermarket car parks.
Baubles
Glass baubles are not recyclable. Broken glass should be disposed of by wrapping and putting in with general waste.
Plastic baubles are usually made from material and glitter which can't be recycled so should also go in the general waste.
Tinsel
Tinsel cannot be recycled. If your tinsel has finally lost its sparkle and needs to be thrown away, dispose of it in your rubbish bin.
Wreaths
Natural materials on wreaths, such as ivy, fir cones, mistletoe and holly, can be composted as long as they are not covered with excessive glitter.
Simply remove the greenery from the base and add to your garden waste collection, or drop at your local household waste recycling centre.
Artificial decorations such as ribbons and plastic flowers will need to be removed as these cannot be recycled.
Christmas tree lights
Fairy lights can be recycled at household waste recycling centres.
Some local authorities collect small electricals as part of their recycling collections and may also provide collection bins at other sites too, for example, at supermarkets.
Cardboard
If you've ordered goods online this Christmas, it's likely your items were delivered in boxes or envelopes made from corrugated cardboard which is widely recycled by local authorities.
Remember to remove any plastic or polystyrene inserts and excess sticky tape from cardboard boxes before recycling.
Batteries
All those new toys and gadgets mean more batteries to recycle. Some local authorities collect batteries bagged separately with household recycling but there are also recycling points in shops around town.
Shops selling more than 32kg of batteries a year are required to provide battery recycling collection facilities in-store.
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