News
Festive Bin Collections
Households and businesses across the Stirling area will have temporary adjustments to their waste and recycling collection schedules over the festive period.
Residents are also being encouraged to recycle and re-use at a time of the year when there is typically increased waste and recycling produced at home.
There will be no waste and recycling collections on:
Thursday 25 December - Christmas Day
Friday 26 December - Boxing Day
Thursday 1 January - New Year's Day
Friday 2 January - Bank Holiday
From week commencing 22 December - week commencing 13 January some collections may be different to accommodate these bank holidays.All residents whose bin collection falls on one of those days can check
their online postcode finder for any temporary collection dates.To accommodate the adjustments, there will be no brown bin collections between:Monday 22 December - Sunday 28 December and Monday 29 December - 4 January. Brown bin collections will resume from the week commencing Monday 6 January.
Residents are also encouraged to use their new glass recycling bins, which will provide additional capacity over the Christmas and New Year period.
The Household Waste Recycling Centres will be open and operating as normal, under winter hours, but will be closed on the following dates:
Thursday 25 December - Christmas Day
Friday 26 December - Boxing Day
Thursday 1 January - New Year's Day
Friday 2 January - Bank Holiday
All HWRC sites will be open as normal Saturday 27 December and Saturday 3 January. Lower Polmaise will be the only site open Sunday 28 December and Sunday 4 January as Balfron and Callander are closed on Sundays.To access our Household Waste Recycling Centres it's necessary to make a booking and residents can also check out opening times to arrange their visit when it best suits.The festive period is a time when households might have more waste than usual and Zero Waste Scotland provide helpful information on ways to have a less wasteful Christmas.
Below is some advice on the best way to dispose of common waste and recycling items you may have at this time of year:
Wrapping paper and gift cards
Standard paper, wrapping paper and gift cards should be placed in your green recycling bin.
Wrapping paper or gift cards containing foil, glitter, ribbons or felt coatings are not recyclable and should be placed in your grey bin.
Cardboard collection
If you have excess paper or cardboard during the festive period, you can take it to any of our Household Waste Recycling Centres at Lower Polmaise, Balfron and Callander.Christmas treesYou can recycle real Christmas trees within the garden waste skips at any of our Household Waste Recycling Centres, or you can chop them up and place in your brown bin, if you have a valid garden waste permit.Convener of the Environment, Transport and Net Zero committee, Cllr Alasdair Tollemache, said: "Christmas is a time of joy and generosity, but it can also be one of the most wasteful periods of the year. By
making a few simple choices, each of us can help promote a sustainable Christmas by protecting the environment we all share, from recycling wrapping paper to making sure bottles, cans and food packaging go in the
right bins."Once again, our Household Waste Recycling Centres will remain open throughout most of the festive period if people have excess paper or cardboard or other bulky items that don't fit in their bins."We would like to thank businesses and residents for their understanding around these temporary changes over the festive period.
On behalf of
Stirling Council's Waste Services team, we would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year."For details on festive bin collections, as well as the opening times of our Lower Polmaise, Callander and Balfron HWRC sites, please visit:www.stirling.gov.uk/festivebincollections
Santa's Sleigh is coming to a street near you!
8th-12th December.
See Scout Group's Facebook page for the route each evening.
Staff and children at Dunblane Primary School Nursery are celebrating
after receiving high praise during a recent visit from the Care
Inspectorate.
Following a visit from the national regulator in September, the Nursery
has been commended for its staff, leadership, setting and standard of
play, care and learning, receiving ratings of 5 ('Very Good') across all
areas.
Inspectors spoke with children, families and staff while observing the
nursery in operation to help inform their report.
Aspects of the nursery singled out for praise were the 'consistently
kind, nurturing and respectful' interactions between staff and children
in addition to the positive relationships formed between the nursery
staff and families who knew each other well.
Jacqueline Rae, Principal Early Childhood Educator at Dunblane Primary
School Nursery said: "We are delighted with the very positive feedback
from Care Inspectorate, particularly regarding the effectiveness,
quality and attunement of our whole team's interactions. The report
captured the essence of our approach for children to be happy,
comfortable and confident and have fun.
"The report recognised our 'meaningful involvement with children and
families' and highlighted our partnerships with other professionals,
affirming that the nursery is deeply rooted in and responsive to the
needs of our community. We were especially pleased to see the report
acknowledge the strength of our team as a whole and the mutual respect
for each other."
Social Work and Education Convener, Cllr Bob Buchanan said: "This
glowing report from the Care Inspectorate reflects all the hard work and
dedication from the staff and management team at Dunblane Primary School
Nursery and the strong relationships they've established within their
community.
"They should all be incredibly proud of this inspection report which
showcases the high standards of early learning and childcare provided
throughout the Stirling Council area. Congratulations to everybody at
the nursery on this well-deserved recognition."
The changes will start with the new timetable on 14th December.
Additional evening services will operate between Edinburgh Waverley and Dunblane, providing, for the first time, two trains per hour Monday to Saturday, calling at all stations.
https://www.scotrail.co.uk/plan-your-journey/changes-our-timetables
Saturday (15 November) featured a day of Christmas themed family fun
topped with an appearance from Santa and Mrs Claus who joined new Lord
Provost Rosemary Fraser as they switched on the lights from the roundel
at King Street.
This came after a parade led by the City of Stirling Pipe Band, the
Stirling and District Schools Pipe Band and the 1st Raploch Scouts and
Beavers.Earlier in the day, revellers in Stirling City Centre were able to enjoy
meeting a cast of familiar Christmas characters and street performers
and peruse the Stirling Christmas Farmers Market, taking place on the
same day as the switch-on event for the first time.The Strathcarron Singers Choir and The Tolbooth Voices Choir also helped
bring Christmas cheer as they led the crowds in a carol singalong.Stirling Council Leader, Cllr Susan McGill said: "Our Christmas Lights
Switch On event continues to attract big numbers to Stirling city
centre, bringing communities together to find some festive joy."The nights may be getting darker but thanks to Santa and his helpers,
Stirling will be shining brightly throughout this Christmas period."Local businesses and traders will have benefitted from the increased
footfall to the city centre ahead of this busy season. We're looking
forward to welcoming residents and visitors alike in the coming weeks as
minds begin to focus on getting Christmas shopping done and to also
enjoy the many festive events taking place throughout the Council area.
Judy Murray expressed sadness about Dunblane's failure to get behind her £20m world class tennis centre in an article in the Sun.
BEAR Scotland, acting on behalf of Transport Scotland, are planning to carry out essential works on the Southbound M9 Motorway, between junction 11 and junction 10.
Consultation Letter Location Plan Diversions
The resurfacing improvements will address existing defects within the carriageway, ensuring the integrity and safety of the motorway network at this location. Please see attached location plan for clarity.
To ensure the safety of the workforce and members of the travelling public, it is necessary to close M9 southbound carriageway from junction 11 – junction 10, during works.
The works have been provisionally programmed to commence on Monday 24th November 2025 for a duration of 4 nights between the hours of 19:30 and 06:00.During this period of closure, a signed diversion route will be in place for the southbound traffic wishing to utilise the M9.
The diversion route will exit the M9 via junction 11, onto the A9 until the Airithey Roundabout. At the roundabout take the first exit, follow the road until the Causewayhead roundabout then take the second exit onto Alloa road. Stay on Alloa road until the Manor Powis roundabout and take the third exit onto the A91.
Follow the A91 until the Stirling services roundabout and rejoin M9. Please find attached diversion drawing for clarity.Access for emergency vehicles will be maintained at all times and all traffic management will be removed out with working hours.
If you require any further information any of the proposed works please do not hesitate to contact Rheagan Swan by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
SE Consultation Roads
BEAR Scotland | South East Unit
www.bearscot.com
Dunblane's Local Place Plan was submitted to Stirling Council's planning service on 31 October 2025.
The Chair of the Community Council, Anna Jarchow-MacDonald, received this email from the Council's planners
Dear Anna
I am pleased to confirm receipt of Dunblane's LPP - thank you.
Congratulations on completing it - that's a fantastic achievement!
We'll undertake the validation process within the next week and will update you once it's complete.
If any issues arise, you'll have the opportunity to address them.
Many thanks
Mark Laird, Development Planning Team Leader
More...
Local woman, Rosie Fraser, has been elected the new Lord Mayor of Stirling.
Rosie raised her family in Dunblane and is know to many as the person who set up Weigh Ahead in Dunblane's High Street.
She sits as a Councillor for the Forth & Endrick Ward in the rural west of the Stirling Council area
Our congratualtions to Rosie. We can be assured that she will represent the whole Stirling community with dignity.
Investment in community deep cleans across Stirling
Targeted deep cleans of neighbourhoods across Stirling are taking place throughout the autumn and winter months to help improve the living environment for local residents.
Focused teams are carrying out a thorough removal of weeds, litter, dog fouling, dumped items, graffiti and vegetation over and above routine sweeping and litter picking programmes. A one-off budget of £200,000 has allowed for the extended employment of summer seasonal employees to undertake the programme of work, which has been agreed following discussions with local community councils and will continue until January 2026 at the earliest.
The council's land services team have already undertaken work this month in Braehead and Stirling city centre, where more than 19 tonnes of rubbish, vegetation and debris have been collected and cleared. This week (27 October) the focus will turn to Doune, Killearn and Dunblane.
Other communities to benefit in the coming weeks include Cornton, Cowie, Raploch, Fallin, Plean, Borestone/Cultenhove, Hillpark and Broomridge.
Rural footways will also be addressed in communities such as Brig o' Turk, Doune and Dunblane.
A full list of the programme and exact locations for the deep clean operation can be found at: www.stirling.gov.uk/cleanerstreets
Stirling Council wants neighbourhoods to be clean and welcoming. The deep cleans provide an added value element to the scheduled street cleaning service and helps to reassure residents about the quality of their local environment, building even greater pride in communities. Local residents and community volunteers can also play their part by joining a community clean up in their area, with kits and equipment provided free of charge for residents who would like to arrange a clean-up. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more details. Please also email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to detail the areas you think need attention. Unfortunately, we cannot reply individually to each email, but all requests will be collected and considered.
