Pack up the tinsel: where to recycle your Christmas tree

County councils offering free tree services say check for closing date as litter fines apply

It’s time to pack up the tinsel and baubles, switch off the lights and let the Christmas tree go for another year.

Many local authorities are accepting trees for recycling free of charge, albeit for limited periods.

However, people caught leaving trees outside recycling centre out of hours will face littering fines if they are caught.

In the Dublin area, Dublin City Council is offering free Christmas tree recycling until January 19th at the following locations:

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Ringsend – Pigeon House Road

Fairview – Clontarf Road

Glasnevin – Albert College

Finglas – Mellows Park depot

Collins Avenue depot

Croke Park – Cusack stand

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council will be accepting trees up to January 14th at:

Blackrock Park

Killiney Hill car park

Cabinteely Park car park

Shanganagh Park car park

Dún Laoghaire West Pier

Sandyford Road near Kilcross estate

One Christmas tree per car will be accepted at the Ballyogan recycling park throughout January.

In the South Dublin County Council area there are a range of recycling locations in Lucan (Beechpark open space; Sarsfield Park open space; Haydens Lane Car Park in Griffeen Valley Park; Foxborough open space); Palmerstown (Glenaulin Park; Woodfarm Acres; Clondalkin). Corkagh Park at St Johns Road car park; Corkagh Park at Green Isle car park at caravan park entrance; Collinstown Par; Quarryvale Park; Foxdene open space; Grand Canal open space at the junction of Bawnogue and Lockview roads); Tallaght (Raheen open space opposite Raheen Shopping Centre; Seán Walsh Park – storage area behind Old Bawn Community College; near Parks Depot off Whitestown Way); Greenhills (Tymon Park, Limekiln car park; Tymon Park, Tymon North Road car park; Old Bawn, Church car park beside the shopping centre); Firhouse (the car park at Cherryfield, the car park at Dodder Valley Park, Firhouse Road opposite Woodlawn Estate); Rathfarnham (Rathfarnham Castle Park – car park); Saggart (Parks Depot on Mill Lane)

In the Fingal County Council area Christmas trees will be accepted free of charge until January 15th at the following locations:

Balbriggan Bath Road car park, Balbriggan;

Skerries South Strand layby,

Hayestown Open Space,

Rush entrance road to Orlynn Park

Swords Outlands parks depot, Rathbeale Road

Estuary Recycling Centre,

Portmarnock public car park, Strand Road,

Malahide Kinsealy Court, Kinsealy

Baldoyle, the Banks car park, Seagrange Park,

Sutton Lawn, Sutton

Harbour car park, Howth

Millennium Park Car Park, Snugborough Road Extension, Coolmine

Cork City Council is accepting trees until January 31st at the following locations: the Civic Amenity Recycling Centre on Kinsale Road; Ballinlough Park adjacent to Gus Healy Swimming Pool; Clashduv Park, Togher adjacent to bring site; Green at junction of Murmount Road and Iona Road, Montenotte; Green adjacent to Sam Allen Sports Complex, Knockfree Avenue, Gurranabraher; There are also bring sites in most larger towns such as Clonakilty, Bandon, Mallow, Youghal, Bantry and Skibbereen.

In Galway, you can recycle trees at the following places until January12th: Oranmore, Community Centre; Mountbellow, Black Quarry, Ballinasloe Road; Headford, council yard beside mart; Loughrea, Fairgreen, Courthouse Road; Gort, council yard on Georges Street; Tuam recycling centre, Athenry Road; Portumna, beside bringbanks on Mountain Road; Clifden, Ball Alley, Beach Road; Oughterard, car park; Ballinasloe, Canal Drive; Milltown, council yard. Athenry, public car park beside Kenny Park.

There is an alternative in Dublin for those do not get around to dropping their tree off to one of these recycling locations.

Christmastreedublin.com is offering to collect your tree and recycle it for use as mulch – for a fee.

The firm, an offshoot of Jesson Landscapes in Santry, will call by appointment and take trees away at a cost of €14.99 per tree up to eight foot in height.

The company then shreds the tree with the resulting mulch used in the landscaping side of its business.

Tim O'Brien

Tim O'Brien

Tim O'Brien is an Irish Times journalist