Stapleford Abbotts Parish Council

Epping Forest District Council says: : Some services will be closed over the Christmas and New Year festive period, but you can still access many services online.

Find our opening times, changes to Christmas rubbish and recycling collections and emergency contact details.

The civic offices in Epping will beclosed from 12pm on Wednesday 24 December 2025 and reopen at 9am on Friday 2 January 2026. This includes our customer contact centre and Epping Community hub, and the Limes Centre in Chigwell.

Check our bin collection page to see if your rubbish and recycling collection dates have changed:

• Check your bin collection day

Real Christmas trees can be recycled in January. Leave it with your green-lidded food and garden bin. If it’s over 6 feet, cut it in half and remove the pot and all decorations.

St Clare Hospice is offering a Christmas tree collection and recycling service in January for a suggested donation of £15 per tree.

• St Clare Hospice’s Christmas tree collection

Boxes can be flat-packed and placed in your blue-lidded recycling bin. If the cardboard is too large to fit in the recycling bin, flat pack it and place it next to your blue lidded recycling bin on your next recycling week.

Recycling centres will be closed on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve from 1pm, and closed all day on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

• Find opening times for recycling centres on the Love Essex website

Dreaming of a green Christmas? Find everything you need to celebrate the festive season in a sustainable style:

• Find information on the Love Essex Christmas hub

All our council-owned car parks are free to park in on bank holidays and on all weekends in December:

• Free weekend parking in December
• Find a car park

To make a payment online or over the phone, use our 24-hour automated telephone payment service:

• Make a payment
• Call 01992 564600

If you use an allpay card to pay your Council Tax or business rates, you can pay at your local PayPoint or Post Office:

• Find your nearest Post Office
• Find your nearest PayPoint store

Our leisure centres are run by Places Leisure. You can find their opening hours and timetables at:

• Epping Sports Centre
• Loughton Leisure Centre
• Ongar Leisure Centre
• Waltham Abbey Leisure Centre

Don’t forget the new Epping Leisure Centre is opening 12 January 2026.

Some of our warm places are available over the Christmas and New Year festive period:

• Find a warm place

If you have lost or found a dog in the Epping Forest area, you can contact the Waltham Forest dog team between 10am and 7pm on all days except for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

• Call 07815 512833
• Report a stray dog

Make sure you are getting the right care at the right time. With more healthcare options available, it’s important to know where to go for support.

• Get the right care in Essex this winter