Go Green And Tree-cycle 

Christmas trees are an icon of the festive season and no home is complete without one. But when the decorations come down and the lights go off, what will become of your tree?

In the UK 250 tonnes of old Christmas trees are thrown out every year and when they end up in landfill sites they break down to produce methane, a ‘greenhouse gas’ and significant contributor to climate change. However there are a number of options available for South Bucks’ residents to recycle their used real Christmas trees instead;

The Stoke Poges Memorial Gardens will take your old trees for recycling on Tuesday 3rd to Friday 6th January 10am - 4pm.

Alternatively you can take them to your local Household Waste Recycling Centre at Langley, Burnham or Beaconsfield where they will be composted.

Christmas trees can also be composted at home in your home compost bin or residents on the green waste trial can put out Christmas trees with their green bin – make sure you reduce the tree into compost-friendly sized portions first that can fit into your bin!

South Bucks District Councillor Bill Lidgate, Portfolio Holder for the Environment, says, ‘Whether you choose to compost your used tree at home, take it to your local Household Waste Recycling Centre or use your green bin, it will ultimately go to feed the land rather than the landfill site. Composting isn’t just an activity for the summer months. Even though the temperature outside has dropped, recycling and composting your waste doesn’t have to stop. South Bucks residents already take an active role in reducing their waste, and being a bit green-fingered can easily be a winter activity too.”

Home composting is an excellent way of recycling kitchen and garden waste and the only form of recycling that can be done completely at home. There are still lots of things that can be composted during the winter months, think of all those vegetable peelings from your Christmas dinner, the worn out mistletoe and endless teabags from those warming cups of tea.

Compost bins are offered at a significantly reduced price for South Bucks Residents as part of the Recycle for Buckinghamshire partnership starting from as little as £15, visit www.bucks.getcomposting.com or call 0844 571 4444.

For further information on composting and how you can reduce your waste please see our recycling web pages or contact 01895 837333 or email environment@southbucks.gov.uk.