Christmas trees

Christmas trees can be recycled to produce organic compost. You can take your tree to the Household Recycling Centres in Blandford, Shaftesbury or Sherborne for recycling.

If you are unable to recycle your tree it can be placed out for refuse collection, but please remember this will go into landfill.

For residents on the wheeled bin organic scheme - Tree can be placed next to your blue bin.  We can not take them in your brown bin.

Christmas Tree Chipping

Saturday 3rd January - 08:30-16:00

Run by Vale Tree Surgeons & Landscapers

Chantry Fields Gillingham (near Waitrose)

(All proceeds to go charity)

For further information please call 07770 833 734

Wrapping paper and greetings cards

Wrapping paper

Using pure paper gift wrap (as opposed to foil) is much better for the environment as it can be recycled at paper banks throughout the District. Wrapping paper with metallic or plastic elements is difficult to recycle, so reuse it instead.

Unfortunately we can not take wrapping paper in the kerbside recycling boxes.

Unfortunately we can not take wrapping paper in the brown organic bins.

Greetings cards

Don’t contribute to the binning of a massive one billion greetings cards this year. Why not reuse cards as gift tags? Alternatively, recycle them at local WH Smith and Tesco stores, which will all have greetings card recycling bins during January. All the funds raised from this scheme go to support the Woodland Trust, the UK’s leading conservation charity dedicated to the protection of our native woodland.

Unfortunately we can not take greetings cards in the kerbside recycling boxes.

We can take greetings cards in the brown organic bins (if you are on the wheeled bin scheme).

Unwanted gifts and textiles

If you are given gifts you don’t want, donate them!

Local hospitals and charity shops, for example, could benefit from your unwanted presents. If you are having a clear out to make room for new presents, and are getting rid of old shoes, clothes and other textiles, these can be put in the bring banks for recycling or alternatively take them to a Household Recycling Centre .

Glass and cans

Nationally we will use an extra 750 million glass bottles and jars and 500 million drinks cans over the festive season. From glass water bottles and jars of mincemeat, to soft drink cans and bubbly bottles, these containers can all be recycled.

Food waste

The UK will eat its way through 10 million turkeys and 830 million brussel sprouts over the next few weeks! You can compost a lot of food waste at home and may wish to get a home compost bin for the New Year.

Dorset councils are supporting the Love Food Hate Waste Campaign

Residents on the organic wheeled bin scheme can put food waste in their brown bin.

Cardboard packaging

Many food items and gifts are accompanied by a lot of bulky cardboard packaging. Don’t throw it away; take it to one of the Household Recycling Centre in Blandford, Shaftesbury or Sherborne where it can be recycled.

Residents on the organic wheeled bin scheme can put cardboard in their brown bin.