Give your Christmas tree a second life with recycling scheme

The scheme has been running successfully for many years and repurposes your tree, after chipping, into compost for local agricultural use.

Collections of real trees can be booked for just £5 and residents using the service are asked to safely leave their trees out from 12 January as they will be picked up in the three weeks following this date.

The fees collected for the service will be reinvested back into the community, with proceeds from previous years being used to plant more trees locally as well as being offered to community groups for conservation work, including tree and hedgerow planting.

Councillor Simon Forde, Portfolio Holder for Climate and the Environment at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “Starting the new year with an environmentally friendly choice is a great way to make a positive impact. Here, locally. It’s dead simple and no hassle.

“Every Christmas tree collected helps us create compost for local agriculture and funds projects that make a real difference, from planting new trees to restoring hedgerows for wildlife. These efforts improve the spaces we all enjoy, whether it’s a family walk in one of our parks or simply knowing we’re protecting nature for future generations. Booking your old Christmas tree for collection is a small action with a big impact, and together we can make recycling part of our festive tradition.”

Collections can be booked online now at www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/recycling/christmas-tree-recycling.

In January 2025 over 470 trees were collected and recycled by the District Council’s Waste Management Team and this doesn’t include the trees recycled through the garden waste collection service. Residents who pay for this 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.