The 12th night is upon us and The Christmas Trees and Decorations are sadly now being taken down for another year, so if you live in North Leeds and your tree is currently temporarily in the back garden, what are the options for removing it. Do you re-cycle (how and where?) or do you dispose of your tree (how where and how much?)

According to the British Christmas Tree Growers Association, between six and eight million ‘real’ Christmas trees are sold in the UK every year. A typical  six to seven foot high Christmas tree is between 10 and 12 years old: Nordmann Firs are the most popular in homes making up to 80% of those sold with Norway spruce making up 10-15%

So now that the decorations are down, what are the options for dealing with the tree:-

• Look out for an organisation that offers a ‘tree-cycling’ service where ultimately it could be used to benefit local communities. Non-profits generally pick up from your home
• Take your tree to a re-cycling centre – because Christmas trees are bio-degradable many places now offer mulching programmes, and these are growing fast, trees are chipped and shredded, you can then use the mulch in your garden. There are eight re-cycling centres in Leeds that are accepting Christmas trees, the closest for Bramhope, Adel, Pool-in-Wharfedale and Otley are:- Kirkstall Household Waste, Meanwood Household Waste Recycling Centre, Middleton Household Waste Recycling Centre, Holme Well Road, Otley Household Waste Recycling, Bradford Road
• Re-cycle it yourself
• Living rooted trees – If you have purchased a living tree, then simply re-plant in the garden after Christmas (be even more prepared and dig the hole in autumn when the soil is softer) to give it a new lease of life. You could also add bird feeders.

If your tree is an artificial one it needs to go out with the rubbish

Some tips on making tree removing easier

• You can purchase plastic tree bags (available from hardware stores) to avoid a mess when removing your tree
• Remove all ornaments (especially the non organic ones), tinsel, lights and tree stands
• Cut the tree into 4ft lengths – you may also need to cut your tree in half, but it must be small enough to fit inside a green garden waste container
• Trees are usually collected Kerbside for two weeks after Christmas, but in some areas this may be for the whole of January
• If you miss the collection period then cut up the tree and place it in your green garden container
• Never burn your Christmas tree in a fireplace or on a wood stove. Pines, firs and other evergreens have a high content of turpentine oils – this may contribute to creosote build up and risk a chimney fire.

So now that you have removed your Christmas Tree and decorations, and the children are back at school, this could be the ideal time for getting your property ‘market ready’ with a view to selling.

We have five properties about to be listed in the Bramhope, Adel and the Menston area. If you would like a free market appraisal with David Phillip FRICS, please call us on 01134 676 400. A: 86, Leeds Road, Bramhope, Leeds w: davidphillip.co.uk