Where to recycle your christmas tree

Each year five million trees are bought and thrown away after Christmas, contributing to an extra nine thousand tonnes of waste.

Thankfully most Councils have special plans in place for recycling of trees.
Usually the trees are shredded and mixed with garden and organic waste collected from green bins and then composted, or in the case of Castle Morpeth Council, they are used for coastal land erosion protection at Cresswell.

Below in alphabetical order of Council are the collection points or arrangements in place for tree recycling.
I have contacted 11 councils in the area and haven't had responses from all yet.
As I get those I will update this entry accordingly.

Alnwick
Take your tree to one of the sites below on any day from January 3rd and before the chipping date for that site and place it in the appropriate area. Please make sure that there is no string or metal attached to it. If you wish to have a bag of chippings from the trees, please call at a site at the time and days listed below.

• Alnwick - Greenwell Lane car park, January 5th, 9 am - 11.30 am
• Amble - Coquet Street car park, January 6th, 9 am - 10.30 am
• Warkworth - Beach Road car park, January 6th, 11 am - 12.30 pm
• Longframlington - football field , January 7th, 9 am - 10.30 am
• Felton - lay-by at north end of the village, January 7th, 11 am -12.30 pm
• Rothbury - Cow Heugh car park, January 8th, 9 am -12 noon
• Powburn - Hedgeley Services, January 9 th 9 am - 10.30 am
• Embleton - recycling site, January 9th, 11.30 am - 1pm

Berwick upon Tweed
Trees will be collected between Friday 2nd January and Monday 12th January from the following collection points:

• Homebase car park


• Bamburgh recycling centre


• Beadnell car park


• Belford Golf Club


• Berwick garden centre


• Cornhill village hall


• Ellingham recycling centre


• Holy Island at Green Lane car park


• Horncliffe village hall


• Norham recycling centre


• Lowick recycling centre


• North Sunderland household waste recovery centre


• Seahouses car park

Blyth Valley

• ASDA - Blyth Saturday 10th January 2009 (9am - 3pm) only


• Alexandra Park - Cramlington, 5th January -16th January 2009


• Ranch Car Park, Links Road, 5th January - 6th January 2009

Castle Morpeth
Residents can put their trees in their green-wheeled bin and these are collected with the first collection of green waste after the New Year and taken for composting.

Alternatively, trees may be left at any the following sites from 5th January until 13th January 2009

• Cresswell Dunes Boat Yard Car Park,


• Ponteland Leisure Centre,


• Morpeth Riverside Leisure Centre Car Park.

Gateshead
Trees can be taken to:

• Gateshead Council's recycling centres at Wrekenton Campground and Cowen Road in Blaydon.


• Gateshead Central Nursery just off Whickham Highway


• The main entrance of Chopwell Woods

Newcastle
Trees can be taken to the recycling plants at Byker, Walbottle, and Brunswick between 8am-6pm
From 2nd-11th January 2009, temporary collection points have been set up around the city. Call Envirocall on 0191 274 4000 to find your nearest point.

The following locations were verbally given to me by the council as temporary collection points, however no postcodes or areas were given so hopefully you'll known if its near to you or else it is probably best to call Envirocall.

I took mine along today to Old Heaton Library and the collection point was well signposted and already full of trees!

Temporary Collection Points:

• Blakelaw Park


• Broadwest Playing Fields


• Coxlodge Field


• Nunsmoor Community Centre


• Swan Hunter Recreation Ground


• Eastfield Avenue


• Walker Park


• West Denton Community Association


• Castle Farm Playing Field


• Old Heaton Library


• Sugley Dene, Throckley


• King George Playing Field

North Tyneside

• Churchill playing fields, Monkseaton 8am - 6pm


• Wallsend sports centre / golf course, Rheydt Ave 8am - 6pm


• Household waste recycling site, adj Waste Transfer Station, Wallsend Road, North Shields 8am - 8pm


• KillingworthSite, Harvey Combe entrance, Off Station Road 8am - 6pm


• Seaton Burn Recreation Ground 8am - 6pm

Or if residents prefer they can call Envirolink 0191 2008899 to arrange for their tree to be collected

South Tyneside
You can recycle your Christmas trees at the following sites from 1 - 18 January 2009:

South Shields

• Temple Park Leisure Centre, next to Recycling Site


• North Marine Park, opposite Vespasian Ave


• Mowbray Park, off Osborne Avenue


• Readhead Park, Cemetery Approach


• West Park play area, West Park Rd


• Middlefields Recycling Village

Jarrow

• West Park, corner of Pine St and South View


• Hedworthfield CA, off Durham Drive

Hebburn

• Campbell Park Road, corner of Adair Way


• St.Andrew's Centre, Church Street

Boldon, Cleadon and Whitburn

• Disco Park, rear of Old Store Buildings


• Grange Park, North Lane Entrance


• Cornthwaite Park, car park


• Coulthard Park, car park


• Oakleigh Gardens, driveway

Tynedale
Residents of Tynedale can recycle their Christmas trees via their own brown kerbside garden waste bins - providing the lid can still close. The trees will be removed for shredding and composting into a soil conditioner on the usual pick-up day.
However, if you live in Tynedale and haven't got a kerbside garden waste bin, or perhaps you invested in a 'larger than the bin' tree, then you can take it along to your local Household Waste Recovery Centre at:

• Allendale


• Haltwhistle


• Hexham


• Prudhoe


• Kirkley Thorn at Ponteland.

Permits may be required for your vehicle / trailer. Contact Northumberland County Council for advice Tel: 01670 534047

Wansbeck Valley
Christmas Tree Recycling Points will be open from 2 - 18th January 2008 at the following locations:-

• Ravensworth Terrace Car Park


• Bedlington Station


• Market Place Car Park Bedlington


• Focus DIY Car Park, North Seaton


• Newbiggin Sports Centre Car Park


• Wansbeck Square Car Park.