For over two centuries, tradition has dictated that the Christmas tree comes down on Twelfth Night (05 January), marking the official end of the festive season and the eve of the Epiphany.
Interestingly, there’s a long-held superstition—dating back to Pagan times – that taking your tree down before 06 January is bad luck. Pagans believed that decorations made from greenery, such as holly and ivy, housed tree spirits. Removing these decorations before the Epiphany was thought to disturb these spirits, potentially bringing misfortune.
Today, most people tend to take their trees down between 2 and 4 January, eager to declutter and embrace a fresh start to the year.
Whether you stick to ancient customs or simply want to reclaim your living room, the first week of January is the perfect time to pack away the festive decorations.
Gone are the days of dragging the tree into the garden to decompose naturally. Proper disposal is now essential, as recycling Christmas trees will significantly reduce their environmental impact. Burning them as firewood or leaving them to rot isn’t just wasteful—it’s harmful. According to The Carbon Trust, recycling a tree reduces its carbon footprint by up to 80%.
So, as the New Year celebrations fade, what should you do with your Christmas tree?
Start by checking if your tree supplier offers a recycling service. Many will collect your tree, chip it, and repurpose it into biofuel or animal bedding.
Alternatively, look into your local council’s Christmas tree recycling scheme. Councils often provide collection services or designated drop-off points where trees can be processed and given a new purpose.
Collection in Oxford
If you live in Oxford, ODS, working on behalf of Oxford City Council, will collect your real, bare Christmas trees – free from decorations, lights, and tinsel – on your green/brown bin day between 07 January and 14 February.
Collected trees will be transported to Severn Trent Green Power’s local composting site in Wallingford, where they will be shredded and transformed into compost, which will be used to enrich local farmland – a sustainable way to give back to the environment.
If you live in a flat with shared bins or would prefer to recycle your tree earlier, you can drop it off at one of the designated Christmas tree collection points across the city. The drop-off locations are as follows:
- Alexandra Tennis Courts, Middle Way, Summertown
- Bury Knowle Park, North Place car park
- Cutteslowe Park, Harbord Road car park
- Florence Park, Cowley
- Long Lane, Littlemore
- Margaret Road Recreation Ground
- Meadow Lane Recreation Ground, Jackdaw Lane
- Oatlands Recreation Ground car park, Ferry Hinksey Road
- South Park, Morrell Avenue
- Sunnymead Recreation Ground, by play area
- Hinksey Park, off Abingdon Road
- Leys Pool and Leisure Centre, Pegasus Road, Blackbird Leys
Collection in North Oxfordshire
Similarly, for residents in North Oxfordshire, waste and recycling crews from Cherwell District Council will collect trees from the kerbside on collection day. Trees need to be left next to the blue recycling bin, and any over five feet tall must be cut in half.
They will then be taken to a special site at Ardley, where they’ll be composted at high temperatures before being redistributed to farmers as compost. Residents do not need a garden waste subscription for the Christmas trees collection.
Residents should remove all decorations to ensure their trees are ready for collection. The crews can also take away broken fairy lights and other small electrical items for recycling. They just need to be placed in a standard-size carrier bag and left on top of any bin on collection day.
Drop-off across Oxfordshire
Real Christmas trees can also be dropped off at Oxfordshire County Council’s seven Household Waste Recycling Centres, namely
- Alkerton household waste recycling centre, Stratford Road, Alkerton, Near Banbury, OX15 6HZ
- Ardley Fields household waste recycling centre, Brackley Road, Ardley, OX27 7PH
- Dix Pit household waste recycling centre, Linch Hill, Stanton Harcourt, OX29 5BB (Sat nav use OX29 5UX)
- Drayton household waste recycling centre, Steventon Road, Drayton, Near Abingdon, OX14 4LA
- Oakley Wood household waste recycling centre, Old Icknield Way, Crowmarsh, Near Wallingford, OX10 6PW
- Redbridge household waste recycling centre, Old Abingdon Road, Oxford, OX1 4XG
- Stanford in the Vale household waste recycling centre, Faringdon Road, Stanford in the Vale, Faringdon, SN7 8LD
The post As the festivities end, here’s what to do with your Christmas tree appeared first on The Oxford Magazine.
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