Banbury residents reminded of district council's Christmas tree collection service

From Tuesday (January 9) to Friday (January 19), waste and recycling crews will be collecting real Christmas trees left next to households blue recycling bins on collection days.

The trees will then be taken to a composting site in Ardley, where they’ll be turned into compost before being redistributed to farmers.

Cllr Andrew McHugh, portfolio holder for cleaner and greener communities, said: “Real Christmas trees are the centrepiece of so many households’ festive decorations.

"As the decorations come down and we welcome the new year, it’s the perfect time to give that real Christmas tree a new lease of life as compost.

“If anyone’s tree lights have broken over Christmas, we’ll recycle those too. People just need to put them out in a carrier bag, and our crews will do the rest. It’s all part of reducing the environmental impact of Christmas and starting the new year sustainably.”

To ensure the collections are safe for recycling crews, any tree over five feet tall must be cut in half, with the cut-offs placed next to the blue recycling bin on collection day.

Cllr Andrew added: “I’d like to thank our bin crews who have been working over Christmas and dealing with bins that are around 25 percent heavier at this time of year. Our residents do a great job correctly sorting out their waste and recycling; let’s keep up the great work in 2024.”

A garden waste subscription is not needed for the collection, and all decorations must be removed.