Monday December 15th 2025
East Lothian Council headquarters
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Festive hours will operate across a number of East Lothian Council services, including office opening times and waste and recycling collections.
All local area offices will close at 4pm on Wednesday 24 December with payment desks closing at 12pm. The offices will reopen on Monday 5 January. Customer services within Brunton Hall in Musselburgh will be open on Monday 29 December, Tuesday 30 December and Wednesday 31 December from 10am to 4pm. Births, deaths and marriages can be registered by appointment at John Muir House in Haddington on 24 December from 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm. The office will be closed from Christmas Day until 5 January with remote registrations available on 29, 30 and 31 December from 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm.
Libraries which open on a Wednesday will close at 4pm on Christmas Eve and reopen on Saturday 3 January. Libraries that are closed on 3 January will revert to their normal opening hours in the week beginning 5 January.
In cases of a social work emergency, contact can be made with emergency social care services on 01875 824309. Housing repair emergencies can be reported on 01875 612818 while the free homeless hotline is on 0800 169 1611.
More information on office opening arrangements can be found at https://www.eastlothian.gov.uk/news/article/14666/office_closures_-_christmas_2025_and_new_year_2026.
No waste or recycling collections will take place on Christmas Day or Boxing Day with alternative dates for uplifts on Saturday 27 December and Sunday 28 December respectively. There will be no uplifts on 1 and 2 January with alternative collections on Saturday 3 January and Sunday 4 January respectively.
No garden waste collections will be carried out between 22 December and 4 January inclusive.The council’s recycling centres will close on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and again on 1 and 2 January. The centres will shut at the earlier time of 2pm on Christmas Eve and Hogmanay.
Real Christmas trees can be composted by taking them to a recycling centre or, if residents have a collection permit, by presenting them beside a permitted brown bin.
Further information on recycling and waste collection arrangements can be found at https://www.eastlothian.gov.uk/info/210561/bins_and_recycling/12667/seasonal_waste_and_recycling_arrangements.
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