Christmas and New Year opening hours and bin day changes

2025-26

Recycling and waste:

• Changes to bin collection days
• Rubbish dumps/tips

Opening hours for offices and other Council services:

• Worthing Town Hall
• The Shoreham Centre
• Telephone contact centre (and out of hours - emergencies)
• Making payments

• Community Alarm scheme - a 24-hour emergency contact service
• Crematorium and cemeteries - see Worthing Crematorium website

Parking:

• Parking on-street
• Parking in car parks - in Adur
• Parking in car parks - in Worthing

Leisure:

• Sport and Leisure Centres
• Coastal Office, Worthing Promenade
• Libraries - see opening times on the WSCC website
• Tourist Information Centre - Time for Worthing website
• Theatre and cinema - Worthing Theatres website
• Worthing Museum & Art Gallery website
• Colonnade House website - gallery and exhibitions

Schools:

• Schools term dates - on the WSCC website
• Schools emergency closure notices, etc - on the WSCC website

Worthing Town Hall (Chapel Road, Worthing)

Council offices opening times:

Bold text shows days closed or with different hours to normal for the customer service reception desk:

• Monday, 22nd December 2025: 9am to 4pm
• Tuesday, 23rd December 2025: 9am to 4pm
• Wednesday, 24th December 2025: Christmas Eve: 9am to 1pm
• Thursday, 25th December 2025: Christmas Day: Closed
• Friday, 26th December 2025: Boxing Day: Closed
   
• Saturday, 27th December 2025: Offices closed
• Sunday, 28th December 2025: Offices closed
   
• Monday, 29th December 2025: Offices closed
• Tuesday, 30th December 2025: Offices closed
• Wednesday, 31st December 2025: New Year's Eve: Closed
• Thursday, 1st January 2026: New Year's Day: Closed
• Friday, 2nd January 2026: 9am to 4pm

See also: making payments

Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), Worthing Town Hall:

• For opening times see:
  Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) at Worthing Town Hall - on the CAB website

Turning Tides, Worthing Town Hall:

• For opening times see:
  Turning Tides website

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The Shoreham Centre (Pond Road, Shoreham-by-Sea)

Council services opening times:

Bold text shows days closed or with different hours to normal for the customer service office:

• Monday, 22nd December 2025: 9am to 1pm & 2pm to 4pm
• Tuesday, 23rd December 2025: 9am to 1pm & 2pm to 4pm
• Wednesday, 24th December 2025: Christmas Eve: 9am to 1pm
• Thursday, 25th December 2025: Christmas Day: Closed
• Friday, 26th December 2025: Boxing Day: Closed
   
• Saturday, 27th December 2025: Offices closed
• Sunday, 28th December 2025: Offices closed
   
• Monday, 29th December 2025: Offices closed
• Tuesday, 30th December 2025: Offices closed
• Wednesday, 31st December 2025: New Year's Eve: Closed
• Thursday, 1st January 2026: New Year's Day: Closed
• Friday, 2nd January 2026: 9am to 1pm & 2pm to 4pm

See also: making payments

Shoreham Centre's normal community events and functions:

• For opening times see:
  Shoreham Centre's website

CAB (Citizens Advice Bureau) at the Shoreham Centre:

• For opening times see:
  CAB at the Shoreham Centre - on the CAB website

4Sight at the Shoreham Centre:

• For opening times see:
  4Sight website

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Making payments

You can:

• Pay online on our website

Alternatively you can:

• use Direct Debit
• or pay by phone on 0300 123 6002

You can also use your barcoded bill or invoice at the Post Office or any PayPoint outlet.

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Telephone contact centre opening/closing times

Bold text shows days closed or with different hours to normal:

• Monday, 22nd December 2025: 9am to 12:30pm & 2pm to 4pm
• Tuesday, 23rd December 2025: 9am to 12:30pm & 2pm to 4pm
• Wednesday, 24th December 2025: Christmas Eve: 9am to 1pm
• Thursday, 25th December 2025: Christmas Day: Closed
• Friday, 26th December 2025: Boxing Day: Closed
   
• Saturday, 27th December 2025: Offices closed
• Sunday, 28th December 2025: Offices closed
   
• Monday, 29th December 2025: Offices closed
• Tuesday, 30th December 2025: Offices closed
• Wednesday, 31st December 2025: New Year's Eve: Closed
• Thursday, 1st January 2026: New Year's Day: Closed
• Friday, 2nd January 2026: 9am to 12:30pm & 2pm to 4pm

If it is not an emergency situation: please wait until the offices are next open (see above).

The quickest and easiest way for you to contact us is to use our:

Contact form

Or, you can check our contact us page to find which number to ring, based on your specific query: 

Other ways to contact us

Out of office hours - emergencies only: the emergency phone number is for use during evenings, weekends, Bank Holidays, etc ONLY when the offices are closed:

• Adur and Worthing - emergencies only: 07713 889 128

Use of this out of hours service:

• It will connect you to a duty supervisor who will be able to assist you further
• Do not use the emergency phone number(s) during office hours - please use the office hours numbers (above)

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Recycling and waste collections

Question: Why do I have to wait longer for my recycling and waste collections at this time of year?

Answer: The Councils have adopted a 'rollover day system' as waste facilities are not open for tipping or processing on bank/public holidays. Moving collection days to compensate for bank/public holidays ensures that the same group of residents are not always inconvenienced.

For more information see:

• Recycling and waste collections
• Garden waste collections
• Real Christmas tree collections
• Clinical waste collections
• Bulky waste collections
• Commercial/trade waste collections
• Emergency recycling and waste collection updates

See also:

• Rubbish dumps/tips: Household Waste Recycling Sites

Recycling and waste collections

Recycling and waste collection days will change over the Christmas and New Year period.

We collect all additional recycling that is outside your recycling wheelie bin or box at any time of year. If you are regularly doing this every fortnight, have you considered an additional recycling bin?

There will be no recycling and waste collections on:

• Christmas Day: Thursday, 25th December 2025
• Boxing Day: Friday, 26th December 2025
• New Year's Day: Thursday, 1st January 2026
• or at weekends
   
• Note: Your normal collection day will then slip on after each of the bank holidays.

Please check your refuse and recycling collections over the Christmas and New Year period to ensure you place the correct bin out for collection. You can check using the bin day look up tool below:

Check your bin day (bin day look up, download your calendar or use our mobile app)

Questions:

• What happens if I have excess waste (side waste) over the festive period?
  We will take a reasonable amount of excess/side waste up to and including, Monday, 12th January 2025.
  
  • Food waste: Ideally black sacks containing food waste should be placed in the bins if possible to deter vermin.
  • Non-food waste: Other non-food excess waste can be placed in bags or black sacks on the ground next to the bins.
  • In all cases: Please ensure anything placed out for collection is as secure as possible to ensure it doesn't get wet and blow around.
    
    
• Can I recycle cards and wrapping paper?
  Yes, but please remove sellotape, plastic bows and any other non-paper decorations where possible.
  
  
• Do you recycle shiny wrapping paper?
  We only take shiny wrapping for recycling if it is actually paper (some shiny wrap is plastic). Unfortunately non-paper shiny wrap will have to go in with your other general household waste.
  Does it passes the scrunch test? Scrunch the paper in your hand. If it stays scrunched up it doesn't contain any plastic and can be recycled. If it springs back open it contains plastic and can't.
  
  
• I have too much paper and card to go in my recycling bin, what do I do?
  Please try to securely contain paper and card for recycling wherever possible to ensure it doesn't get wet and blow around, put it in a larger cardboard box or a tied sack (marked for recycling) if possible.
  
  
• Can I recycle foil baking trays?
  Yes, please ensure they are clean, dry and loose.
  
  
• Can I recycle Christmas pudding bowls and cream pots?
  Yes, please ensure they are clean, dry and loose.
  
  
• Can I recycle my biscuit tin or plastic and metal sweet containers, etc?
  Yes, cardboard, metal and plastic biscuit or sweet 'tins' can all be recycled, please ensure they are clean, dry and loose.

For more details on what we can recycle please see:

• What you can recycle

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Garden waste collections

The last garden waste collections at Christmas will take place on:

• Wednesday, 24th December 2025

Collections will then resume as normal from:

• Tuesday, 13th January 2026

Note: Your normal collection day will then slip on after each of the bank holidays.

Please check your refuse and recycling collections over the Christmas and New Year period to ensure you place the correct bin out for collection. You can check using the bin day look up tool below:

Check your bin day (bin day look up, download your calendar or use our mobile app)

See also: real Christmas trees information (below).

Have you got a garden waste bin?

• Sign up for a garden waste bin

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Real Christmas tree collections

Real Christmas trees will be collected from:

• Tuesday, 13th January 2026
  
  
• Trees should be placed out next to your wheelie bins ready for collection by 6:30am on the morning of your next bin collection day (either recycling or refuse) after this date
• Please cut big trees into smaller pieces if possible
• Please remember to remove all decorations, baubles, tinsel and the lights before putting your trees out for collection
  
  
• If you live in a flat and have a communal bin area then please put your Christmas tree out at the end of your entrance path near to, but not on, the pavement in a visible location so that they can be collected
• Please do not put them in a location that will cause an obstruction or leave them in your communal bin area
  
  
• If your real Christmas tree still has its roots then why not try planting it out in your garden to enjoy all year round?

Artificial Christmas trees:

• If you have an artificial tree then please package it away carefully and save it for re-use next Christmas along with all your decorations, tinsel and lights

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Clinical waste collections

For your clinical waste collections over the festive period please contact Medisort:

• website: www.medisort.co.uk
• phone: 01903 719646
• email: ask@medisort.co.uk

See also: Arrange a household clinical waste collection

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Bulky waste collections

Bulky waste collections will be suspended between Christmas and New Year.

Last collection will be:

• Wednesday, 24th December 2025

Collections will resume on:

• Monday, 5th January 2026 and will be by appointment only

See: Book a bulky waste Collection

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Commercial/trade waste collections

The commercial waste service will operate on all non-Bank Holiday days.

Changes to commercial/trade waste collections:

• Monday, 22nd December 2025:
  Normal collections
• Tuesday, 23rd December 2025:
  Will be collected on Monday 22nd December 2025
• Wednesday, 24th December 2025:
  Christmas Eve: 
  Will be collected on Tuesday 23rd December 2025
• Thursday, 25th December 2025:
  Christmas Day: 
  Will be collected on Tuesday 23rd December 2025
• Friday, 26th December 2025:
  Boxing Day: No collections
  Will be collected on Wednesday 24th December 2025
   
• Saturday, 27th December 2025:
  Normal Saturday collections
• Sunday, 28th December 2025:
  No collections

Changes to commercial/trade waste collections: 

• Monday, 29th December 2025
  Normal collections
• Tuesday, 30th December 2025
  Normal collections
• Wednesday, 31st December 2025:
  New Year's Eve: Normal collections
• Thursday, 1st January 2026:
  New Year's Day: 
  Will be collected on Wednesday 31st December 2025
• Friday, 2nd January 2026:
  Normal collections
   
• Saturday, 3rd January 2026:
  Normal Saturday collections
• Sunday, 4th January 2026:
  No collections

Changes to commercial food waste collections:

• Tuesday 23rd December 2025
  Will be collected on Monday 22nd December 2025
• Thursday 25th December 2025 - Christmas Day:
  Will be collected on Tuesday 23rd December 2025
• Friday 26th December 2025 - Boxing Day:
  Will be collected on Wednesday 24th December 2025

For enquiries please contact 01273 263050.

See: Commercial waste collections

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Emergency recycling and waste collection updates

Emergency recycling and waste collection updates (eg in the event of snow and ice) will be posted on our:

• Adur & Worthing Councils - Facebook
• Adur & Worthing Councils - Twitter

Our mobile app enables you to:

• view your next recycling and general waste collections
• sign up to receive reminders
• receive notifications when there are operational changes
• and more ...

Check your bin day (bin day look up, download your calendar or use our mobile app)

See also:

• Recycling and waste section
• Tips (HWRS) webpage

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Rubbish dumps/tips: Household Waste Recycling Sites

Household Waste Recycling Sites (HWRS) are run by West Sussex County Council (WSCC), not Adur & Worthing Councils.

For opening times and more information about the Christmas and New Year period please refer to their website using the relevant link below:

• Shoreham-by-Sea tip (HWRS) - on the WSCC website
• Worthing tip (HWRS) - on the WSCC website

If you have problems trying to book a slot at a tip you will need to:

• contact the tip using the contact details for the site using the relevant link above
• or contact WSCC via their website

See also our:

• download the Adur & Worthing Councils services mobile app

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