Christmas trees and festive cards from homes across Shropshire will be shredded, composted and used on county farmland, officials said today.

Households are being urged to leave out their old trees and cardboard this month so they can be recycled. The request comes from Shropshire Waste Partnership and its contractors Veolia Environmental Services.

Natural Christmas trees can be put out for collection in – or next to – a garden waste collection bin.

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If it is more than five feet tall it must first be chopped into smaller pieces. 

Trees will also be accepted at Shropshire’s five household recycling centres. All trees will be shredded and composted along with the garden waste and cardboard and used on farmland.

Partnership chairman Councillor Michael Wood urged people to recycle.

He said: “Across the county we all produce more waste than normal over the Christmas period, but I do hope that people will make use of the local recycling services and facilities as much as possible.”

Donald Macphail, managing director of Veolia Environmental Services in Shropshire said: “We have a target to increase recycling across the county to 50 per cent by 2012. 

“By recycling Christmas waste, Shropshire residents are helping to achieve this.”

There will some changes to waste and recycling collection days over the Christmas and new year period and people are advised to check their collection calendars for details or visit www.recycleforshropshire.com

The five household recycling centres – at Battlefield Enterprise Park, Shrewsbury; Waymills Civic Park, Whitchurch; Craven Arms Business Park; Barnsley Lane, Bridgnorth; and Maesbury Road, Oswestry – are open from 9am to 5pm every day. 

The amenity skip and recycling centre in Coder Road, Ludlow, opens from noon to 8pm, Tuesday to Friday and from 8am to 1pm on Saturdays. 

All the centres will be closed on New Year’s Day.

 TOP TIPS ON FESTIVE WASTE

• Christmas cards can be put out for collection with cardboard collections or placed in the cardboard skips at the household recycling centres.
• People can also support the Woodland Trust Christmas Card Recycling Scheme by taking old Christmas cards to a WH Smith, TK Maxx, Marks & Spencer or Tesco store between January 2 and 31.
• As long as it is not metallic or plastic-coated, wrapping paper can also be recycled with other paper using the kerbside collection, household recycling centre or recycling bank.
• Cardboard packaging from presents and items bought in the sales should be flattened and put out for collection at the kerbside, or taken to one of Shropshire’s household recycling centres. Tape should be removed.
• All the jars, bottles and cans used over the festive period can be put out for collection at the kerbside or taken to a household recycling centre or recycling bank.
• Residents in the North Shropshire and South Shropshire districts can put their food waste out for collection. People across the county can use vegetable peelings from Christmas dinner to start their own compost heap.
• Compost bins have been put on special offer at www.recyclenow.com/com post. Meat and cooked food should not be composted at home.

 By Rhea Parsons