How to recycle your real Christmas tree
Here are some of the options for recycling your Christmas tree in Sandwell.
Compost at home
Composting a Christmas tree at home can be tricky unless you already have a garden shredder or are willing to rent one. The leaves and needles are resistant to normal compost conditions and the trunk will be too large to compost down completely. If you do manage to shred the tree, we recommend using the material as a mulch, but it will make your soil more acidic.
Take to the tip
Take you real Christmas tree to the Household Recycling Centre (the tip) in Oldbury. You don’t need to chop the tree up, but please do make sure any decorations and lights have been removed first.
At the recycling centre, simply place in the green waste section where it will be sent away to be shredded and composted at a commercial composting site. Please pre-book your tip visit. The site is open 8am-4pm every day (apart from Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day).
Use the garden waste bin
You can put real (not artificial) Christmas trees in your garden waste bin if you plan on subscribing to garden waste collections in 2025. Please remove all decorations and lights beforehand and cut the tree up if the bin lid will not close. Garden waste collections will restart in spring 2025.
Charity collections
A number of local charities offer the collection of Christmas Trees in return for a donation. They use volunteers to collect the trees and providers will vary across the borough. Check these charities websites to see if they offer a collection in your postcode area.
Your donation will help these Hospice charities provide specialist palliative care to people living with life-limiting illnesses, and their families, across the region.