03 September 2010Any resident looking to dispose of their Christmas tree in an environmentally friendly and hassle-free way after this year's festivities have ended can do so by using the Council's fortnightly garden waste collection service up to and including Friday 29 January 2010.
Residents who have Christmas trees with a trunk less than 89mm (3.5” in diameter) should put them out by the kerbside the night before the scheduled fortnightly garden waste collection day in their road. Trees should not be decorated or in pots or stands.
Sevenoaks District Council will collect the trees so that they can be shredded and turned into environmentally friendly compost.
Residents can find out when their garden waste collection day is by calling Sevenoaks District Council's Contact Centre on 01732 227000 or by going to www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/recycling and clicking on the ‘Refuse, recycling and garden waste collection times’ link.
Trees with a trunk more than 89mm (3.5” in diameter) are not suitable for the green waste collection service. However, they can be taken to Kent County Council's Dunbrik Household Recycling site at Sundridge, or to its Pedham Place site at Button Street in Swanley where they can be placed in a large garden waste container to later be composted. Residents are advised to check opening times by calling Kent County Council's contact centre on 08458 247 247.
Cllr Avril Hunter, Sevenoaks District Council's Cabinet Member with responsibility for recycling, says: "Our tree recycling scheme is the trouble free way of disposing of a Christmas tree. Not only is it convenient and free, the trees will be turned into environmentally friendly compost."
Residents are advised that the refuse crews do not collect Christmas trees with the regular, weekly black sack rubbish, but with a special garden waste collection vehicle that will likely arrive as early as 7am on the day of the scheduled collection.
As Christmas and New Year celebrations also generate large volumes of glass, residents can also take their glass bottles and jars along with any unwanted clothing, shoes, books and CDs to one of the District’s more than 40 recycling sites.
For more information visit www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/recycling.
