Forest of Dean District Council to pick up real Christmas trees again this year
Forest of Dean residents wanting to recycle their real Christmas trees will be able to leave them out on their garden waste collection day with effect from Monday 10 January, when the service resumes following a brief suspension over the festive period.
The Christmas tree collection service - operated by the Forest of Dean District Council and waste contractor Biffa - is available to all households, including those without a current garden waste licence. To use the service, residents simply need to put their tree out at the kerbside by 7.00am on any of their scheduled garden waste collection days, up until Monday 31 January.
Councillor Sid Phelps, Cabinet Member for Environment at the Forest of Dean District Council said:
“Not everyone finds it easy to dispose of their trees once the festivities are at an end, so we are delighted to offer residents the opportunity to recycle their Christmas trees at the kerbside once again. We know this service is valued by the public and their trees will go on to be composted locally at Rose Hill Farm in Dymock where they will be transformed into a soil improver.
In order for trees to be collected, all lights, tree decorations and stands must be removed. Larger trees need to be reduced into sections, no longer than 1.5m in length, before being presented at the kerbside to assist the crews while smaller trees can be put inside the green wheeled bin if available.”
However, there are other options for real Christmas trees. Trees with root balls can be re-potted so they can be kept for future years while cut trees can be successfully home composted with a little bit of effort. Trees can be shredded and used as a mulch, or cut and stacked in the garden to create new habitats for insects.
Garden waste collections take place on the alternate week to the refuse collection for most properties. Anyone who is unsure when their collection is due can either visit the waste pages of the Council’s website (www.fdean.gov.uk), check their annual waste calendar or call the customer services team on 01594 810000 during office opening hours.
Real Christmas trees, along with excess refuse and recycling created over the Christmas break, can also be taken to the local Household Recycling Centres at Oak Quarry (Broadwell) and Hempsted (Gloucester) and in the case of trees placed in the dedicated garden waste bank. In addition to being closed every Tuesday and Thursday respectively throughout the year, the sites, which are currently operating winter opening hours (10.00am to 4.00pm daily), will be shut on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
Visitors to Gloucestershire County Council’s Household Recycling Centres must book in advance by visiting: www.gloucestershirerecycles.com