North Ayrshire residents whose bins are normally collected on Mondays and Tuesdays will have to put them out two days earlier during the festive season.

That means, on the mainland, bins due for collection on Monday, December 25 will be collected on Saturday, December 23.

Bins due for collection on Tuesday, December 26 will be collected two days earlier on Sunday, December 24.

Bins due for collection on Monday, January 1 will be collected on Saturday, December 30, while bins due for collection on Tuesday, January 2 will be collected on Sunday, December 31.

North Ayrshire Council is advising residents to put their bin out for collection at 7am, as the actual time of collection might vary during the holidays.

And if adverse weather affects your area, the council will return to collect your bin when possible.

Bulky collections, also known as special uplifts, will stop on Friday, December 22 and start again on Monday, January 8

Over the festive period, many people end up with extra packaging and, potentially, more food waste than usual.

The council have urged everyone to play their part by recycling material in the correct bins and also by using wrapping paper and cardboard tubes that can be recycled.

An easy test to check if you can recycle wrapping paper - that has no glitter or foil - is by scrunching it up and observing if it stays scrunched.

The council’s Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC) will close at 1pm on both Christmas Eve and Hogmanay, with last entry at 12.30pm.

They will remain closed on the Monday and Tuesday of each week.

You can visit the council’s bin collection day website for information during the festive period and follow their social media channels for guidance on Christmas tree collections in your neighbourhood.

On the mainland, real Christmas trees (in 5ft or less sections) can be left beside your brown bin from Monday, January 8, over the following two-week collection cycle.