What to do with your tree after Christmas

Many people will be wondering what to do with their real trees once the Christmas merriment is over.

Well, the good news from St Albans City & District Council is that smaller trees belonging to those living in houses can be parked beside your garden waste bin and taken away for you, free of charge.

If you live in a flat, however, or the tree trunk is more than two inches thick, you are asked to take it to a recycling centre for disposal.

Alternatives include paying around £5 (if you live in St Albans) for Ayletts to pick it up and chip it – they collect up to 100 trees per day. Or it’s free to take it to the North Orbital Road garden centre and leave it there to be chipped. They are planning to offer these services from January 5-21.

Green Party councilor, Simon Grover, said: “Most people make a lot of effort to recycle the right things. We know it’s good for the planet and saves money on council tax too. But at Christmas time, we sometimes forget to keep doing it.

“We just pack all the wrapping paper into a rubbish bag or put bottles and food waste in with the general waste. Most of us produce more rubbish than usual at this time of year, so it’s really important to keep recycling.

“If you’ve got a real Christmas tree with a trunk that’s under two inches thick, the doorstep collection team will take it with your regular recycling. If it’s bigger than that, take it to the household recycling centre and put it in the green waste bin there.”

Other ethical measures include remembering to recycle Christmas cards and wrapping paper (removing ribbons or bows first) and separating plastic from cardboard boxes and squashing them down, before putting them in the recycling. Also, make use of your kerbside caddy, so that food waste can be used as fertiliser instead of ending up at the tip. Food waste costs £100 per tonne to send to landfill, according to the council.