People are being encouraged to check they are not missing out on extra money and to find out if they could be eligible for any of the benefits administered by Social Security Scotland - some of which are only available in Scotland.
19.12.2022 - 17:57 / dailyrecord.co.uk
Before the bins tip over with wrapping paper and the remnants of Christmas dinner, households in Scotland should get the last collection days in the diary.
The festive season is a whirlwind accompanied by a mess of boxes and clutter that can quickly become a mountain. With Christmas and New Year coming up fast, local councils have published their schedules.
So to get ahead of a pile up of rubbish and recycling, here are some key dates to know.
Christmas day and New Year's day both fall on a Sunday this year, which might interrupt your normal schedule. Most councils won't collect on bank holidays, so you could end up waiting a few days.
The day your bins are collected are up to your local council so you'll need to check its official website. Local authorities may leave a tag on your bin or a leaflet through the door and will most likely alert residents on social media.
For anyone with bulk excess waste, some recycling centres will be closed on Christmas and News Year's.
However, residents may find not much will be different. Some Scottish councils, like Edinburgh and Aberdeen, have said there will be no changes to bin collections on Christmas day and New Year's Day.
Most of us recycle over Christmas - but are we getting it right? Councils may have strict policies on what items can be recycled and thrown away - including Christmas trees.
Recycle Now has a handy tool allowing you to enter your postcode and find out what you are able to recycle via your household collection.
Here is a useful list of what can and cannot be recycled:
Christmas trees
Some local authorities have special collections or organise drop-off points for real Christmas trees.
They can also be taken to some household waste recycling centres - but you should check
People are being encouraged to check they are not missing out on extra money and to find out if they could be eligible for any of the benefits administered by Social Security Scotland - some of which are only available in Scotland.
The Lib Dems have blamed the Scottish Government for a drop in the number of public toilets across the country.
We will bring in 2023 later this week, and while it is a period full of hope and excitement for many, it is also a period of disrupted bin pick-ups.
A man and a woman have been arrested in connection with the “cold-blooded” killing of a 26-year-old who was shot in the head at a pub on Christmas Eve.
A family from Dumfries welcomed what could be Scotland's first baby born on Christmas Day.
Celebs Go Dating's Laura Anderson and Gary Lucy spent their first Christmas Day together as a couple.
A 22-year-old woman who tragically died after being hit by a police car on Christmas Eve has been described as a cherished daughter by her heartbroken family. Rachael Louise Moore died on Saturday December 24, after being hit by the emergency vehicle in Liverpool.
A Scots mum has told of her heartbreak as she marked the first Christmas since her still her stillborn baby passed away.
In the past Scots have tried their lottery luck during the festive period hoping to bring home a huge jackpot.
Police are asking members of the public in Renfrew to check their sheds after a pensioner was reported missing on Christmas Eve.
It's the question children around the world are dying to know on Christmas Eve - "Where is Santa Claus?"
Ukrainian refugees celebrating the festive season have thanked Scotland for welcoming them from their war-torn homeland.
Some Scots may want to know what train services will be available over the festive period this year.
The families of St Mary’s, Bathgate Primary School pupils have been collecting donations for St Vincent de Paul Scotland over the past few weeks.
It's strange to imagine what December would be like without Christmas at the end of it, but that is exactly what it was like in Scotland for almost 400 years.
The Scottish Highlands is the only part of the UK likely to see a white Christmas, according to the Met Office. Christmas is likely to be wet and cloudy for a lot of the country with the heavy snowfall coming two weeks too early to give most people a white Christmas.
With Christmas just around the corner, the boss of supermarket chain Aldi has issued shoppers with an urgent warning ahead of the holidays.
Leading supermarkets will be giving away free veggies this Christmas so that the little ones can leave something behind for Rudolph.
The Royal Family have announced what they'll be getting up to over the Christmas period, which will be the first since the passing of the Queen.