Have a greener Christmas and recycle your Christmas tree with the District Council

Newark and Sherwood District Council’s Waste Management team can collect your real tree for a £5 fee. We cannot give an exact date for collection but will come as soon as we can on or after 9 January 2022. To book your collection go to: https://www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/recycling/christmas-tree-recycling/

Through this scheme not only is the collection fee reinvested back into the community, but so will the trees themselves. All the money collected this year will be offered to community groups for conservation work, which could include tree and hedgerow planting. The collected Christmas trees themselves will be recycled into chippings to be used in the district for path surfacing if suitable or used for mulch on shrub beds to keep weeds at bay.

Christmas can be one of the worst times of year for excess waste. The District Council has released its top tips to help find more sustainable options to dispose of any unwanted items this festive season, whether it be food, decorations or gift wrapping etc.

Useful tips to reduce waste this Christmas include:

• To avoid excess food waste, visit the Love Food Hate Waste website for ideas for using up leftovers, tips on food storage and preparing correct portion sizes.
• Natural Christmas wreaths – can be put in the garden bin if not held together with any wire/metal/glue.
• Not sure if your wrapping paper is recyclable? Try the scrunch test to see! If you scrunch the paper and it stays crumpled, you can recycle it. If it unfolds itself, then it can’t be. Watch this video to see the scrunch test in action: https://youtu.be/8PBps0ccvXc
• Use your Christmas leftovers in delicious recipes that you can freeze (turkey can be a delicious addition to a curry!)
• Make a shopping list before you head out to the supermarket- then you won’t be so tempted to mindlessly add items to your trolley
• Dyed, laminated, glittery, plastic wrapping cannot be recycled. You can swap to more sustainable options like brown paper, a gift bag that they can reuse, or even fabric you can find at local charity shops!

Councillor David Lloyd, Leader of Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “Christmas is a busy time for many, and this can lead to a lot of waste. Disposing of your tree can seem like a tricky job, so not only does our scheme allow your tree to be repurposed, but it also saves you a bit of time and energy!

“We all want to work towards a cleaner, safer, greener community and this is a great way to kick off your new year doing something sustainable! Remember, Christmas trees don’t have to just be for Christmas, they can be repurposed!”

If residents pay for a garden waste collection service, they can also cut their real trees and place them in their garden waste bin for recycling, remembering that the lid must be able to close.

All real trees can also be taken to any household recycling centre in the district.