Orkney Islands Council have set aside the first week in February for folk who live within 30mph zones on Mainland  when they can put  out their real Christmas tree with their usual recycling. It will then be recycled to be reused as soil conditioner. To be recycled it has to have any remnants of tinsel or decorations removed.

If you have transport or live outwith these areas you can take it yourself to be recycled.

If it has roots and you have space in your garden you might want to plant it and see if it will take.

You can also reuse it in your garden even if it doesn’t have roots by sticking it in the ground and growing other plants up and through it or for dangling bird feeders from it.

Here are the times for residents within the 30mph limit

Collections fall on normal refuse/recycling collection days and will take place as follows:

• Area 1 – Kirkwall (Central and North West): Monday 4 February.
• Area 6 – East Holm, Deerness, Tankerness and Toab: Monday 4 February.
• Area 9 – Stromness (Central): Monday 4 February.

• Area 2- Kirkwall (West): Tuesday 5 February.
• Area 7 – Kirkwall (South), Holm and Burray (North): Tuesday 5 February.
• Area 10 – Stromness (Outer Areas) and Stenness (West): Tuesday 5 February.

• Area 3 – Kirkwall (Central): Wednesday 6 February.
• Area 8 – South Ronaldsay and Burray (South): Wednesday 6 February.
• Area 11 – Stromness (Outer), Sandwick and Birsay: Wednesday 6 February.

• Area 4 – Kirkwall (South East): Thursday 7 February.
• Area 12 – Dounby, Birsay and Evie: Thursday 7 February.
• Area 14 – Finstown, Stenness (East) and Harray: Thursday 7 February.

• Area 5 – Kirkwall (North East): Friday 8 February.
• Area 13 – Firth, Rendall, Evie and Harray: Friday 8 February.
• Area 15 – Orphir and Stenness (West): Friday 8 February.

Trees can also be trimmed, cut up and placed into the kerbside grey bins for the waste collection – as long as the lid can still close on the bin. (But that is a waste of something which can be reused so effectively)