Access to Aberdeenshire Council services across the festive fortnight

The opening arrangements for Aberdeenshire Council over the festive fortnight of 2023/24 have been confirmed, with essential services continuing throughout.

Aberdeenshire Council has released key service-specific information for residents

Key service-specific information is as follows:

Customer Services

Aberdeenshire Council’s telephone lines and face-to-face offices will be closed during the public holidays on Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 December as well as on Monday 1 and Tuesday 2 January.

Normal opening hours for our Customer Services Team are from 8:45am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Phone numbers and office details for our services can be found at www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/contact-us/contact-by-phone/

You can always check opening times of council offices before making a trip www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/contact-us/reach-a-council-office/

Emergency Contact Information

In the event of an emergency, please call the numbers below.

Our out of hours emergency service is available 5pm to 8:45am weekdays, and all weekend:

Housing repairs and dangerous buildings, 03456 08 12 03

Homelessness, 03456 08 12 06

Social work, 03456 08 12 06

If the emergency or crisis is life threatening, call 999. If you are worried about someone who is ill, call NHS 24 on 111.

For more emergency contact details visit www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/contact-us/emergency-contacts/

Live Life Aberdeenshire

All sports centres, ski centres, and Macduff Marine Aquarium will be closed on Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 December 2023 as well as on Monday 1 and Tuesday 2 January 2024.

Our libraries will be closed on Sunday 24, Monday 25, and Tuesday 26 December and on Monday 1 and Tuesday 2 January.

The Live Life Aberdeenshire call centre will close at 5pm Friday 22 December until Wednesday 3 January. Customers should contact sites on their direct number or send an email enquiry to [email protected]

For full details of Live Life Aberdeenshire’s festive opening hours, visit www.livelifeaberdeenshire.org.uk/

Live Life Aberdeenshire also offers access to warm and welcoming spaces where you can have a free shower, use Wi-Fi, and charge your device. More details about cost of-living support and other warm spaces are available on Aberdeenshire Council’s website

Recycling and waste

Festive recycling and refuse collections are as follows:

Collections due on Monday 25 December will be made on Friday 29 December.

Collections due on Tuesday 26 December will be made on Saturday 30 December.

Collections due on Monday 1 January will be made on Friday 5 January.

Collections due on Tuesday 2 January will be made on Saturday 6 January.

The festive period can lead to excess waste and that’s why it’s important to keep in mind how to reduce, reuse, and recycle. That includes making good use of your green caddy for all food waste. Remember, peelings and bones can go into food waste too.

The council’s hard-working waste collection teams are focused on providing a great service but, inevitably, people will be inconvenienced in the winter season as temperatures drop.

Details of missed collections will appear at www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/binsdisruptions

If at any point your bin is not emptied over the festive period, we will empty your bin along with any excess waste you gathered during the next scheduled collection for that bin.

For households only, if you find yourself accumulating additional recycling and waste items, the household recycling centres are available to visit www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/RecyclingCentres

Household recycling centres across the festive period:

Close at 3pm on Sunday 24 December. Closed all day on Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 December.

Close at 3pm on Sunday 31 December. Closed all day on Monday 1 and Tuesday 2 January.

You can get all the latest updates on waste collections along with an array of other council information by downloading the MyAberdeenshire app