During the festive season, it’s crucial to manage waste and recycle responsibly. This includes knowing festive tips, collection days, when your Christmas tree will be collected to ensure a waste-free Christmas break.
What happens to recycled Christmas trees?
Bristol Waste collected 187 tonnes of Christmas trees, equivalent to 26,600 trees after last Christmas. The trees are mixed with organic waste, converting it into compost – a four-step process that reduces carbon impact, recycles difficult-to-treat biological waste, and supports environmental land restoration, thereby reducing the environmental impact and supports environmental land restoration.
Bristol Waste has a collection calendar available for you to download from its website, which displays a yellow tree symbol to indicate the day of your Christmas tree collection.
Remember to remove decorations from your tree and place them in the designated area for refuse or recycling and note that trees over two meters tall are not accepted.
St Peter’s Hospice Christmas Tree Collection
St Peter’s Hospice is also running a Christmas Tree Collection scheme in Bristol, collecting real Christmas trees from doorsteps in selected postcodes. The collection for 2025 will take place on Friday 10th, Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th January for selected postcodes including BS3 and BS4.
You can visit the website to book your Christmas tree collection date.
The hospice’s volunteers will recycle the trees in exchange for a donation of £20-25 per tree. The scheme aims to support the hospice’s end-of-life patient care and provide a sustainable start to the New Year. The scheme is expected to help pay for essential care during the holiday season.
Bristol Waste Company also has festive tips on how to reduce waste, save money and find your nearest recycling centres.
Recycling centres offer free services for broken fairy lights, used Christmas trees, and seasonal waste, allowing customers to book visits online as early as one hour before.
Bristol City Council also provides a Bin Collection Day Finder on its website.