Where to recycle real Christmas trees in Scotland and how artificial ones can be disposed

With Christmas and Hogmanay celebrations now behind us, attention is turning to the task of taking down the decorations. The question of when to take down the Christmas tree always sparks debate.

Many adhere to tradition, suggesting that Twelfth Night, which falls twelve days after Christmas Day on January 5, is the ideal date. But how do you dispose of your artificial Christmas trees, and how do you recycle the real ones?

To help, we've gathered a full list of Christmas tree collection dates to remember and how to go about getting rid of last month's prized possession. Check your local council here - and don't forget to put them out in good time.

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Aberdeen City Council

Residents with household wheeled bins will have their real Christmas tree collected on their usual brown bin day between January 6-17.

Residents are asked to put their tree next to their brown bin. You do not need to have a garden waste permit to have their tree collected.

Residents who use communal bins, both on and off-street, are requested to leave their tree by their communal bins between January 6-17, allowing access for use and emptying of the bins.

For addresses on or south of Beach Boulevard, Justice Street, Castlegate, Union Street, Albyn Place, Queens Road and Skene Road, collections will from January 6-10.

Collections will be from January 13-17 for all addresses north of the streets listed above.

You can also take Christmas trees to Household Waste and Recycling Centres out with these dates.

Aberdeenshire City Council

For households only, if you find yourself accumulating additional recycling and waste items from the festive period, the council's household recycling centres are available.

Booking slots for bulky uplifts are closed from the week commencing December 16 and start again from the week commencing January 6.

Angus Council

For real Christmas trees, take your tree to a recycling centre, or cut it up and place it inside your green garden waste bin (lid down) if you have one.

The council cannot accept whole/part trees left beside any bin, as part of its ‘no side waste' policy.

Artificial trees can be disposed of as nonrecyclable (general) waste at Arbroath, Carnoustie, Montrose or Forfar recycling centres. Or put them in your purple bin.

No glittery paper or ribbons should be put in the grey bin. Metallic paper is fine as long as it's not plastic. Unwanted decorations in good condition can be taken to a charity shop or reuse organisation.

Where baubles and tinsel are beyond use, put them in your purple general waste bin. Take Christmas lights to a recycling centre and leave them in the small electricals container.

Argyll and Bute Council

Real Christmas trees can be replanted or taken to one of the council's recycling centres.

Artificial trees can be disposed of through normal bin collection hours which will recommence on January 6.

Clackmannanshire Council

Excess domestic waste can be taken to the recycling site at Forthbank, Alloa which is open every day and is free to members of the public with their own household waste.

You should bring photo ID and proof in residence in Clackmannanshire ( a driver's licence, national entitlement card or disabled person's parking badge will suffice for both criteria). Trade users are required to pay.

You may request an additional uplift for household waste but charges will apply.

Na H-Eileanan An Lar Council

There is little information specific to Christmas tree collections or disposal instructions online but all available details can be found here.

Dumfries and Galloway Council

Real Christmas trees can be taken to a recycling centre and put in the green waste container to be composted. Alternatively, real Christmas trees can be put out for collection with householders' grey-lidded rubbish bins until Friday, January 31, 2025. The trees should be cut into manageable lengths of up to one metre in length.

For electrical/fibre optic Christmas trees, due to the electronic component in these trees, they need to be disposed of at recycling centres and placed in the "small domestic appliances" container. Broken tree lights can also be placed in this container.

Unwanted artificial Christmas trees with non-electrical fittings can be placed in your grey-lidded rubbish bin for disposal or disposed of at a recycling centre.

Dundee City Council

The council is encouraging householders to recycle their tree and not place it out with the general waste collection for uplift. 'Real' trees are recyclable and can be shredded to produce Discovery Compost.

Remember to remove all tinsel and decorations and any pots or stands. Artificial trees are made from a combination of materials and therefore cannot be recycled.

Collections will take place week commencing January 6, 13th and 20. In addition to the kerbside collection, real Christmas trees can be taken and disposed of in the garden waste skips at household waste recycling centres:

Baldovie Recycling Centre, Piper Street, Dundee, DD4 0NT,

Riverside Recycling Centre, Wright Avenue, Dundee, DD2 1UR

You can also request a Christmas tree uplift by clicking here or find more details about collections here.

East Ayrshire Council

People are being asked to take their real tree to your nearest Recycling Centre and place into the green garden waste recycling container.

Trees will also be uplifted on your first brown bin collection after Christmas. All trees must be cut and bundled into four foot lengths or less.

East Dunbartonshire Council

You can recycle your real Christmas tree from January 3-12 in a skip at these locations:

- William Patrick Library car park, Kirkintilloch

- Mavis Valley Recycling Centre, Bishopbriggs

- Milngavie Community Education Centre, Milngavie

If you hold a Garden Waste 2024 Permit, you can call the Customer Services team on 0300 123 4510 to arrange for your Christmas tree to be picked up or your garden waste bin emptied between January 13 and January 19.

East Lothian Council

Residents should present all containers at the kerbside by 7am on the day of collection. The council will only collect material presented in the recycling and waste containers provided by East Lothian Council.

Garden waste collections restart on Monday, January 6. Your collection day and week can be found on your permit.

Real Christmas trees can be either taken to a recycling centre to be composted or presented beside your brown bin on garden waste collection dates in January - if you have a garden waste collection permit.

Recycling centres are usually open seven days a week, from 8:30am to 5pm.

East Renfrewshire Council

To organise and pay for the one off uplift of a Christmas tree if you have not purchased a garden waste permit, the charge is a one off payment of £15.65

For residents who have purchased a garden waste permit there is no need to book a collection. Your Christmas tree will be collected on your normal brown bin collection day after the festive break, week commencing January 6.

For any resident who does not wish to pay for this uplift and has access to a vehicle, the council will be placing wood chipping facilities at Cowan Park and Roukenglen park w/c 6 January. This allows residents to drop off their Christmas tree to one of these sites and an East Renfrewshire operative will complete the tree disposal/ processing.

You must ensure the Christmas tree has been broken up and placed in your brown bin for pick up. Any trees not placed in the brown bin will not be collected by the squad. For more, please click here.

Edinburgh City Council

Recycling your Christmas tree is "easy," says the council. They will collect it for free from your street or with your first January garden waste collection.

If it's over 7 feet, please cut it in half and remove branches. Check when we're collecting trees where you live by clicking here.

Falkirk Council

Real Christmas trees and real holly wreaths (bauble and ribbon free) can be recycled at your local Household Waste Recycling Centre.

Synthetic Christmas trees can be reused next Christmas, donated to a charity shop or taken to your Household Waste Recycling Centre.

Fife Council

When you're finished with your real Christmas tree you can either put it into the brown bin or, if it doesn't fit, cut it into bits smaller than 1.8m lengths or six foot.

Put it out beside your brown bin next time it's due for collection.

Glasgow City Council

For those with brown bins, Glasgow City Council advises households to cut their real Christmas trees into manageable pieces and place them in the bin for kerbside collection.

Alternatively, trees can be taken to any council household waste recycling centres. From January 3 until January 31, three locations across the city will offer recycling services:

• Kelvingrove Park at Kelvin Way – You can place your trees on the grass area opposite the bandstand.

• Pollok Country Park – You can take your trees to the main car park, near the Burrell Collection.

• Mansfield Park – You can take your tree to the drop off point via Hyndland Street at Mansfield Park.

Trees brought to these parks are chipped and shredded on site for use within the parks. Pollok Park will also provide chippings free of charge to the public.

Highland Council

When it's time to take down your Christmas decorations, recycle your real Christmas tree at your local Recycling Centre.

Click here for more information and the opening hours of each site.

Inverclyde Council

Residents are reminded that natural Christmas trees can be recycled at dedicated garden waste containers. The council is requesting that trees be disposed of at Pottery Street and Craigmuschat recycling centres.

Both centres reopened on January 3 and will be available until 6pm. Visitors are asked to ensure they arrive at least 15 minutes before closing time.

Midlothian Council

There is little information specific to Christmas tree collections or disposal instructions online but all available details can be found by clicking here.

Moray Council

Real Christmas trees can be put out alongside your brown bin from January 6 and will be uplifted without the need for a garden waste permit.

North Ayrshire Council

The mainland and Cumbrae waste teams will collect real Christmas trees (in sections no longer than five feet in length) from beside brown bins from January 13 over the next two week collection cycle.

Check bin collection days to see dates for your area.

On Arran, real Christmas trees can be deposited at the Brodick Household Waste Recycling Centre.

Largs and Kilbirnie recycling sites will review for opening on January 6.

North Lanarkshire Council

Real Christmas trees (with all decorations removed) can be disposed of free of charge at your nearest recycling centre. Residents are asked not to present these beside your wheeled bin as they will not be uplifted.

You can also book a special uplift here.

Orkney Islands Council

There’s no ‘Christmas tree collection service’ run by the council. With this in mind, cut and live trees can be taken to green waste skips at Hatston, Garson, Bossack, Cursiter and St Margarets Hope household waste and/or recycling facilities.

People should take care to remove all decorations and tinsel scraps.

The council transforms these trees into soil improvers, free for residents to collect from Bossack, Hatston and Garson. Alternatively, keep an eye on Facebook groups in your area for folks with livestock who might be looking for cut trees for their animals to nibble on.

Perth and Kinross Council

The council encourages residents to compost - chop up your tree and add it to your home compost bin - or chop up your tree and put it in your brown-lidded bin if you have a Garden Waste Permit.

You can also take your tree to a local recycling center. Normal collections will resume on January 6. If your bin is missed due to severe weather, you can leave it out for 48 hours.

If the council can't return for it, you can return the bin to its usual storage point and present it on the next scheduled collection day.

Renfrewshire Council

You can recycle your real Christmas tree until January 9 at the following places:

• Barshaw Park, Paisley

• Barwood Park, Erskine

• Lochwinnoch Public Park

• Thomas Shanks Park, Johnstone.

You can also recycle your real Christmas tree at a household waste recycling centre:

• Erskine, Barrhill Road, PA8 6BU

• Johnstone, Miller Street, PA5 8HP

• Linwood, Middleton Road, PA3 3DP

• Paisley, Underwood Road, PA3 1TL

• Renfrew, Dean Park Road, PA4 0AJ.

Scottish Borders Council

Christmas trees can be taken to any Community Recycling Centre for composting.

Shetland Islands Council

There is little information specific to Christmas tree collections or disposal instructions online but all available details can be found by clicking here.

Gremista Waste Management Facility and Recycling Centre is also open as normal from January 3.

South Ayrshire Council

There is no specific Christmas tree-related information but the brown bin / garden waste will only be collected from properties with garden waste permits who have pre-booked the collection for the winter period.

South Lanarkshire Council

Real Christmas trees can be recycled in various ways throughout South Lanarkshire.

The council will collect real Christmas trees placed beside your burgundy food and garden waste bin on your normal burgundy bin collection day throughout January.

If you don't have a burgundy bin, you can request a free uplift for your real Christmas tree. Uplifts can be booked online until 3.30pm on Friday 12 January.

Trees will be uplifted between January 8-19. Trees being uplifted must be cut into 5ft sections and tied together. You can also take your real Christmas tree to one of the council's six Household Waste and Recycling Centres.

Stirling Council

Stirling Council residents can recycle their real Christmas trees in a few ways:

• Household Waste Recycling Centres - drop off the tree in the garden waste skips at any of the council's three recycling centers in Lower Polmaise, Balfron, or Callander.

• Brown bin - Chop up the tree and put it in your brown bin if you have a valid garden waste permit.

• Special uplift

West Dunbartonshire Council

The West Dunbartonshire Council's Christmas tree collection scheme is only available for properties that have a kerbside collection for co-mingled food and garden waste:

• Kerbside collection - place your real Christmas tree next to your brown bin on your next recycling day. You should remove any decorations, cut the tree in half if it's bigger than your bin, and put your brown bin out next to the tree, even if it's empty

• Recycling center - bring your real Christmas tree to the Dalmoak or Erskine Ferry Road Recycling Centre.

• Artificial or plastic trees - these are not included in the collection scheme. You can dispose of them in your grey bin or take them to a community recycling center.

You can find information on recycling center opening hours on the West Dunbartonshire Council website.

West Lothian Council

You can recycle your real Christmas tree in the brown bin. Just make sure you take the fairy lights, tinsel and baubles off first. The lid of the bin needs to close too, so if your tree is too big, you’ll need to chop it up to fit.

You also need a Garden Waste Permit. Check your bin collection dates here.

The brown bin collections will resume on January 8.

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