It might seem a bit Scrooge to be talking about getting rid of the Christmas tree before the event is over, but it can help to know what to do before 12th Night comes along.
Most councils have a facility to collect and recycle real Christmas trees, although it ranges in scope from good services collecting from the home to an expectation that you will lug it yourself somewhere not very convenient to get to if you don’t own a car.
They all have pretty much the same rules — remove all the decorations and no heavy soil pots. Some councils ask you to chop the tree into smaller chunks.
Check their websites for the specifics.
A festive corner of ianVisits towers
Barking and Dagenham
No collection service, but you can take them to nominated car parks, although only on just two dates, or the Frizlands Lane tip.
Barnet
Real Christmas trees will be collected from 8 January 2021 through to the end of the month.
Ensure that your real Christmas tree has all decorations and tree lights removed, is cut in half and is placed at the boundary of your property by Friday 8 January.
Bexley
Christmas trees will be collected from households that have signed up to the garden waste collection service from Mon 11th Jan.
Otherwise, you can take the tree to the recycling centres in Crayford or Foots Cray.
Brent
There are a range of drop off points around the area that will be open from 30th Dec 2020 to 14th Jan 2021
Doesn’t appear to be any collections.
Bromley
Residents who are members of the green garden waste wheelie bin collection service can use this service to recycle their real Christmas trees. Trees must be put in the bins for recycling and broken down if necessary.
Temporary recycling centres for Christmas trees will be open on Saturday 9 January or Sunday 10 January 2021 at seven locations.
Camden
There will be collection points available from 4th Jan to 17th Jan 2021.
Collections are only available if you have a garden waste collection service, or arrange to pay for collection as part of their large household item removal service.
City of London
Threes should be taken to collection points advertised on their website and on estates just after Christmas.
Croydon
Household collections start from 18th January and will take up to 2 weeks depending on local waste collection routes.
If you subscribe to the garden waste collection service you can also cut it up and put it in your garden waste bin.
Alternatively, there are four recycling centres open to drop off the tree.
Ealing
Between 4th and 29th January 2022, you can leave your tree on the front edge of your property, to have it taken away for recycling. Trees will be collected on the same day as your refuse collection (black bin) each alternate week.
Alternatively, you can also take your Christmas tree to the listed council parks and open spaces up until 29th January 2022, or to selected reuse and recycling centres.
Enfield
Collections from the home can be booked by appointment, or if you pay for garden waste service you can put it in your green bin.
Otherwise, local collection points will be an option until 10th Jan.
Greenwich
Unknown – no information could be found on their website.
Hackney
Trees will be collected from your home from 4th Jan to 15th Jan on your rubbish and recycling day. Put your tree out on the front boundary of your property by 7am, with all decorations removed.
People living in flats, put the trees next to the communal bins.
You can also take your tree to the Millfields Depot.
Hammersmith and Fulham
If you normally get an on-street rubbish collection, simply leave your tree where you’d leave your rubbish between 4th Jan and 17th Jan 2021.
There are also 10 designated drop off points in the council area.
Haringey
Collections are free if you live in a kerbside property. Cut your tree into smaller pieces (maximum length 1 metre or 3 feet) and put it out with your normal collection.
Christmas trees can also be taken to Haringey’s Reuse and Recycling Centre
Alternatively, you can take them to designated sites – this service is only offered for four weeks after Christmas Day.
Harrow
Appears to be limited to taking the tree to the recycling centre.
Havering
If you have a garden waste collection, put a chopped up tree in the collection bin, or take to the Gerpins Lane recycling centre.
Otherwise, there is a collection point at Gidea Park Sports Ground on Sat 9th Jan 2021 between 10am to 2pm.
You can also pay for home collection with a local charity.
Hillingdon
You can recycle Christmas trees with the usual garden waste collection, if chopped up. Alternatively, the tree can be taken to a recycling centre, or arrange for collection with their bulky waste service.
Hounslow
Collections from streets between Mon 11th Jan and Fir 22nd Jan – on specific dates.
There are also 5 drop-off points around the area. People living in flats will have to speak to their estate management for details.
Their webpage needs better editing – the days/dates do match 2021, usually.
Islington
If you have a street rubbish collection, leave the tree out on the normal collection date between Mon 4th Jan and Fri 15th Jan.
You can also drop off your tree at local collection points between Mon 4th Jan and Wed 20th Jan.
Kensington and Chelsea
Kerbside waste collection on your normal collection date between Mon 4th Jan and Fri 22nd Jan.
You can also take your tree to the council drop-off points between Sat 2nd Jan and Sun 24th Jan 2021.
Kingston upon Thames
Leave your tree at the boundary of your property on the same day as your wheelie bins between 18th Jan to 29th Jan 2021.
Lambeth
Trees will be collected on the normal rubbish day from 4th Jan 2021. They don’t always collect on the first attempt, so try the following week.
Flats, leave the tree next to the communal bins.
There are also three collection points you can take the tree to for recycling.
Lewisham
If you have a garden waste bin, you can use it to recycle your real Christmas tree. Just cut it into pieces no bigger than 10cm thick and 50cm long.
Otherwise, there will be collection points open between 2nd Jan and 28th Feb.
Merton
Put your real Christmas tree out by Mon 18th Jan and it will be collected within a fortnight.
Alternatively, you can cut up your tree and put it in your garden waste wheelie bin, if you are a subscriber to the service. Or you can take it to the Reuse and Recycling Centre in Morden.
Newham
Arrange for a garden waste collection, and put the chopped up tree into a bag on the day of collection.
Redbridge
Place your tree at the boundary of your property by 11th Jan 2021, and they will collect over a 2 week period.
Richmond upon Thames
They will collect your real Christmas tree for recycling on the normal scheduled garden waste collection day for your street between Mon 4th and Fri 15th Jan 2021.
There are also 7 drop-off points open over the same period, and the Townmead Road tip accepts them.
Southwark
If you have a food and garden waste collection, real Christmas trees can be collected as part of your garden waste subscription collection – simply leave it by your bin on collection day.
Alternatively, book a permit and bring your real Christmas trees and plastic Christmas trees to the Reuse and Recycling Centre on Devon Street.
Sutton
Put your tree as close to the front boundary of your property as possible on your usual collection day between 18th-29th Jan.
Residents who live in flats should leave their tree outside their communal bin store.
Alternatively, you can take to the Kipton Park Way tip, or chop up and put a garden waste bin, if you have one.
Tower Hamlets
There will be a collection for the recycling of real Christmas trees from 4th to 18th Jan 2021.
If you do not have kerbside food and garden waste collections, please contact your property landlord or management company who can arrange collections from the nominated communal collection points.
Waltham Forest
Take to a local waste and recycling centre or if you have a kerbside organic collection, leave next to your brown bin.
Wandsworth
Collections will be made on the usual refuse collection dates between Mon 4th Jan to Fri 15th Jan.
Leave the tree with the usual rubbish on the morning of collection.
People living in blocks of flats should leave trees next to the communal bins.
Westminster
Take your tree to a drop-off point between Mon 28th Dec 2020 and Sun 10th Jan 2021
Greenwich are terribly festive and don’t circulate tree collection info until start of Jan.
But for years they’ve been collecting trees as part of the normal compost waste collection (tree to be left BESIDE and not inside any compost waste bin).
2020/21 confirmation here:
https://www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/info/200171/recycling_and_rubbish/694/bank_holiday_collection_dates
Compost waste collection resumes January 11 – no end date for tree collection given, I kind of want to pop one out in August and see what happens (for Science).