Forest of Dean residents wanting to recycle their real Christmas trees will be able to leave them out for collection between Monday, January 6th and Friday, January 17th on their normal garden waste collection day.

The Christmas tree collection service - operated by the Forest of Dean District Council and waste contractor Biffa - is available to all households, including those without a current garden waste license.

To use the service, residents need to put their tree out at the kerbside by 7.30 am on their scheduled garden waste collection day between the two dates. Garden waste collections take place on the alternate week to the refuse collection for most properties.

Small trees can be reduced and put in the green wheeled bin if available. Larger trees can be left at the kerbside. Residents are asked to carefully reduce their trees to sections no longer than 1.5m in length to assist with the collection. All lights, tree decorations, pots and stands must be removed in order for the tree to be collected.

In Herefordshire real trees have to be taken to a household recycled centres where it will be composted.