FOREST of Dean residents opting for a real tree this Christmas will be able to have it collected from the convenience of the kerbside once the festivities are over.
Forest of Dean District Council has announced it will again collect trees for all households when its popular garden waste service resumes on Monday 8 January, following a two-week suspension over Christmas and New Year.
Trees put out by residents will go on to be composted at Rose Hill Farm in Dymock.
Councillor Andy Moore, Cabinet Member responsible for waste and recycling at Forest of Dean District Council, said: “The Council has collected real trees for over 15 years now and we know residents really welcome the convenience this service offers so we’re delighted to be continuing the tradition for 2024.
"Crews will collect any real Christmas tree which is placed at the kerbside - including for homes that don’t have a current garden waste licence - just as long as it’s presented on the first scheduled garden waste collection day between Monday 8 and Friday 19 January.”
The British Christmas Tree Growers Association estimates that anything between 6 to 8 million real trees are sold each year in the UK at Christmas. This could equate to more than 7,000 trees in the district being collected.
With so much waste created at Christmastime, the Council is also urging residents to think whether there is a more sustainable option for disposing of their trees.
Trees with root balls are best re-potted so they can be kept for future Christmases, while cut trees can be successfully home composted with a little bit of effort.
Trees can also be shredded and used as a mulch, or cut and stacked in the garden to create new habitats for insects. And trees simply left in the garden can provide valuable shelter for birds, particularly in the colder winter months.
The District Council’s garden waste service will be suspended from 25 December and will resume on Monday 8 January.
The temporary suspension enables vehicles and crews to be redeployed to assist the refuse and recycling service collect the additional waste created over the festive fortnight.
Details of how waste and recycling collections are changing over Christmas and New Year can be found on the District Council’s website: https://www.fdean.gov.uk/binday.
Alternatively, residents can check their annual waste and recycling calendar which already lists the revised collection dates for their property.
Real Christmas trees, along with excess recycling and refuse, can also be taken to the local Household Recycling Centres (HRCs) at Oak Quarry (Broadwell) and Hempsted (Gloucester).
The HRCs, 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.
Residents wishing to visit a Household Recycling Centre must book in advance by visiting: https://www.gloucestershirerecycles.com/household-recycling-centres-hrcs/