REAL Christmas trees can be recycled by Forest residents, whether they have a garden waste licence or not, between Monday 9 and Friday 20 January.

The trees will be collected by the district council and Biffa on the scheduled garden waste collection day and can either be placed in the green wheeled bin or left at the kerbside.

Cllr Marrilyn Smart, Cabinet member for the environment at the Forest of Dean District Council said: “Residents are asked to carefully reduce their trees to sections no longer than 1.5 metres 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.

“With one in five homes now buying a real Christmas tree we want to make sure that as many as possible are composted, so we are pleased to be picking up real Christmas trees from homes across the district again this year. We know many residents value this service as Christmas trees can be particularly bulky and awkward to dispose of once needles start to drop.

“The Carbon Trust calculates that an artificial tree would need to be used for 10 years to have a lower carbon impact than buying a real tree.  The best option is to purchase a potted living tree which can be used year after year.”

Trees collected from the kerbside will be taken to Rose Hill Farm in Dymock where they will be turned into a soil improver, or to Wingmoor Farm in Cheltenham for composting.

To find out when a collection is due, visit the waste pages of the council’s website at www.

fdean.gov.uk, check the annual waste calendar or call the customer services team on 01594 810000 during office hours.

•Gloucestershire County Council is urging residents to recycle their old appliances and unwanted gadgets.

Chair of Gloucestershire’s joint waste committee, Cllr Sue Coakley said: “Many of us will have received an electrical or electronic item this Christmas. We want to remind residents that old and broken waste electrical and electronic equipment shouldn’t be disposed of in the refuse bin for safety reasons - a recent fire in a refuse lorry was caused by lithium batteries being crushed. If it’s beyond repair it should be recycled.

“Many contain hazardous substances which need to be properly managed to prevent them eventually reaching the food chain, while others contain finite metals which need to be recovered.   

“Some items are easily recognised but children’s soft toys, for instance, may not look like an electronic item, but if they move, light up or play music, they contain electronic components and should not be put in the refuse bin.”

More information about how to reduce waste can be found at www.recycleforgloucestershire.com