Milton Keynes Christmas bin collections: four weeks affected

Milton Keynes bin collections will run late for four weeks this winter, from the week of 28 December 2026 through the week of 18 January 2027. That comes from the council’s own 2026/27 collection calendar, which marks those four weeks with an asterisk. The exact day-by-day revised dates are not out yet: last year the council had them online by 2 December, and this page will carry them as soon as they appear.

The quick answer

• Collections are affected in the weeks starting 28 December, 4 January, 11 January and 18 January. Normal days should return in the week of 25 January 2027.
• The 2026/27 revised dates have not been published yet. Last year’s list was live by 2 December 2025; expect this year’s around the same time.
• Last year every collection moved up to two working days later, for three weeks, including three Saturday collections.

Why Milton Keynes slips for so long

Milton Keynes does not move collections for ordinary bank holidays at all; see our bin collection days page for how the rest of the year works. Christmas is the exception, because the council’s crews lose two or three weekdays in quick succession and then catch up a day at a time.

This year is worse than last. Christmas Day falls on a Friday, Boxing Day’s bank holiday moves to Monday 28 December, and New Year’s Day is also a Friday, according to the government’s bank holiday list. That is three lost weekdays in eight. The council’s 2026/27 year-ahead calendar marks the weeks commencing 28 December, 4 January, 11 January and 18 January as changed and points to its collection days page for the detail. The week of 25 January carries no asterisk.

Last winter only three weeks were affected. We will not guess this year’s individual dates from last year’s pattern, because the bank holidays fall on different days.

What happened last Christmas (2025/26)

The council’s revised Christmas collections page for 2025/26 moved every collection from Christmas Day to Friday 16 January, by up to two working days. Normal collections resumed on Monday 19 January 2026.

Two things stand out. There were three Saturday collections, on 3, 10 and 17 January. And the delay was still running two and a half weeks after New Year’s Day. The council’s page describes the changes as running from “Wednesday 25 December”, a day of the week carried over from the previous year’s page; Christmas Day 2025 was a Thursday, and the table itself uses the right days.

A year earlier, in 2024/25, the council’s page moved collections between 25 December and 10 January, with normal service from Monday 13 January 2025. That page was online by 11 December 2024.

Real Christmas trees

Last year the council collected real trees from the green bin, as long as the trunk was no more than 15cm (6 inches) across, the tree fitted neatly inside the bin, and all decorations were off. Anything bigger has to go to one of the three recycling centres. You must book a 15-minute slot before visiting, up to seven days ahead, online or on 01908 252570.

The centres open 8am to 5pm from 1 October to 31 March, according to the council’s recycling centres page. That page does not currently list any Christmas or New Year closures, so check it, or ask when you book, before driving over on a bank holiday.

Still to be confirmed

• The 2026/27 revised collection table. Expected by early December; last year’s was online by 2 December. We will add it here.
• Recycling centre hours over the bank holidays. Not yet published by the council.
• Tree collection rules for January 2027. Last year’s are above; we will confirm when the new page goes up.

For parking over the festive period, see our Milton Keynes parking page. School holiday dates for the same weeks are on our term dates page.