District Council to collect real Christmas trees

West Oxfordshire District Council will pick up real Christmas trees from all households following this year’s New Year festivities as it urges residents to reduce waste over Christmas to help the environment and make the most of their kerbside recycling services to save resources.

Residents wishing to recycle their trees will be able to leave them out on their scheduled garden waste collection day between Monday 9 to Friday 20 January. The service is available to all households - including those without a current garden waste licence - just so long as all the lights and decorations have been removed and the tree is presented by 6am on the scheduled day of collection.

Councillor Lidia Arciszewska, Cabinet Member for Environment at West Oxfordshire District Council, said: “With many of us favouring a real Christmas tree over an artificial one we are pleased to be collecting real Christmas trees for all households who need this service for a second year. We know residents really value this service as Christmas trees can be bulky and awkward to dispose of, particularly once the needles start to drop. 

“However, it's not only Christmas trees. West Oxfordshire’s residents are some of the most dedicated recyclers in the country so with all the extra cardboard packaging, drink cans and bottles, and food waste that inevitably gets produced at this time of year, we’re asking everyone to keep up the good work and recycle as much as possible over the festive season and to reduce waste where they can. Anyone who is uncertain as to what items are accepted in the kerbside recycling can check the District Council’s website for details.”

To assist crews, residents are asked to cut their trees down to around 1-metre lengths which can either be left ready at the kerbside or put inside the garden waste 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.westoxon.gov.uk/binday) to view or download the waste calendar for their property or call the customer services team on 01993 861000 during office opening hours. 

Real Christmas trees, along with excess recycling and refuse created over the Christmas break, can also be taken to one of Oxfordshire’s local Household Waste Recycling Centres. The sites, including Dix Pit in Stanton Harcourt, will open between 8am to 3pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve and will be shut on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.