RESIDENTS with real Christmas trees are being encouraged to recycle them with Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council this January.

Garden waste service customers can put their real Christmas trees out for collection with their garden waste when collections restart next Monday.

The service took its usual two-week break from Monday, December 26, to enable the crews to support the waste and recycling rounds during the festive season, garden waste collections will resume on Monday, January 9. Trees left out for collection should have all decorations removed and if they are over six feet high, should be cut in half.

Alternatively, residents can drop off their real trees at 21 collection points organised by the borough council. These trees will then be transformed into wood chippings for parks and ProGrow soil conditioner for local gardens and parks. Trees can be dropped off until Sunday, January 29 at:

 • Avenue Nurseries, The Avenue, Lasham

• Basingstoke Town Centre, War Memorial Park, Crossborough Hill

• Basingstoke Garden Centre, North Waltham

• Boat House, Eastrop Park, Basingstoke

• Burghclere Sports Club, Harts Lane, Burghclere

• Brighton Hill Sports Pavilion, Gershwin Road, Basingstoke

• Capital Gardens, Sherfield on Loddon

• Carpenters Down Open Space (Popley), Carpenters Down, Basingstoke

• Darling Buds of May, Newbury Road, Headley

• Elm Park Garden Centre, Aldermaston Road, Pamber End

• Fieldgate Centre, Kingsclere

• Hatch Warren Community Centre, Long Cross Lane, Basingstoke

• Homebase, Winchester Road, Basingstoke

• Oakridge Playing Fields, Upper Sherborne Road, Basingstoke

• Overton Hill car park, Overton

• Russell Howard car park (South Ham), Basingstoke

• Silchester Pavilion car park, Pamber Road, Silchester

• St Johns Piece, (near play area), Oakley

• Winklebury Playing Fields, Winklebury Way, Basingstoke

• Wigmore Road Park Entrance, Hangar Road, Tadley

• Winchester Road car park, Whitchurch

Cabinet member for environment and climate action Cllr Hayley Eachus said: “Recycling your real Christmas tree is a really easy way to make Christmas more sustainable and helps create wood chippings and ProGrow Soil conditioner for our parks and gardens.

"Recycling your tree is easy. In January, garden waste customers can leave their tree out for collection at the kerbside and there are 21 drop-off points around the borough for those residents who aren’t garden waste customers to take their tree to.”

For further information contact the council on 01256 844844 or visit basingstoke.gov.uk/christmas-tree.