Tomorrow marks the official end of Christmas, and the lights on as many as one million Christmas trees sold in Ireland in December will be turned off for the last time.
Many of the trees will be taken to recycling centres or dumped in a less eco-friendly fashion over the coming days.
Irish households have become much better at recycling their trees over the last decade and the number of facilities where they are accepted at no cost has increased significantly.
However, there is no accurate figures on the number of trees recycled and no national policy for tree recycling, and it is left to individual councils to manage the collection and work out the ways to best reuse the finished product.
Some councils have opened dozens of bring centres, while others have no official recycling collection points.
Dublin City Council expects to collect in the region of 25,000 trees this year, with the majority of recycled trees set to end up fertilising the grass and shrubs in gardens.
The trees are taken by Bord Na Móna, which mulches them and blends them with peat, and the mixture is sold on the British market.
Cork City Council shreds the trees it collects and turns them into compost for the city’s parks and green areas.
Other Christmas detritus will also be handled in the coming weeks. Croke Park is offering a number of facilities for waste collection in the local community over the next days and has set up a collection point for trees, carboard packaging and electrical goods.
According to recycling organisation Repak, Irish households generated around 80,000 tonnes of used packaging over the festive season, and it aims to collect and recycle 45 per cent of this. Repak's website has details of many facilities where Christmas trees are accepted for recycling while information can also be accessed by contacting individual councils.
Where to dispose of your tree
Dublin City Council
Up to January 20th
Windmill Road Bring Centre, Crumlin, Dublin 12
Gulistan Terrace Bring Centre, Rathmines, Dublin 6
Oscar Traynor Road Bring Centre, Coolock, Dublin 5
Pigeon House Road Recycling Centre, Ringsend, Dublin 4
Stanley Street Depot (off Brunswick Street), Dublin 7 (Mon – Fri 8am – 4pm)
WEEE Retailer Recycling Centre, Kylemore Park West, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10 (Mon – Fri 9am – 5pm)
Milltown Car Park, Milltown Road, Dublin 6 Poddle Park, Kimmage, Dublin 6
Sandymount – Car park at Martello Tower, Strand Road, Dublin 4
Car park on Clontarf Road – beside the former Traffic School
Albert College Car Park, Glasnevin, Dublin 9
Mellowes Parks Depot – beside Dublin City Council Civic Centre on Mellowes Road, Finglas (Mon – Fri 8am – 4pm & Sat – Sun 10am – 4pm)
Walkinstown Green – at Church, Bunting Park, Dublin 12
Croke Park (via St Josephs Ave.) WEEE domestic & Cardboard recycling also available January 4th – 20th only
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
Up to January 16th
Blackrock Park Main Entrance
Cabinteely Park Car Park
Killiney Hill Car Park
Marley Park, Grange Road Car Park
Mount Anville Parks Depot, Goatstown
Shanganagh Recycling Centre Car Park
West Pier Car Park, Dun Laoghaire
Fingal County Council
Up to January 13th
Bath Road Carpark, Balbriggan
South Strand Lay-By, Skerries
Hayestown Depot, Rush
Ball Alley Carpark, Lusk
Outlands Parks Depot, Rathbeale Road, Swords
Estuary Recycling Centre
The Square, Donabate
The Brook, Portrane
Santry Demesne Car Park
Charlestown Open Space, Charlestown
Public Car Park, Strand Road, Portmarnock
Kinsealy Court, Kinsealy
The Banks Carpark, Malahide
Seagrange Park, Baldoyle
Sutton Park, Sutton
Harbour Carpark, Howth
Auburn Avenue/Castleknock Park open space
Carpenterstown Park East, Castleknock
Corduff Park, Blanchardstown
Hartstown Park Car park
Millennium Park, Coolmine – Car park
Littlepace Park, Castaheany, Clonee
South Dublin County Council
Up to January 15th
Lucan: Beechpark open space; Sarsfield Park open space; Hayden's Lane Car Park in Griffeen Valley (to replace the Green Waste Facility at Esker)
Palmerstown: Glenaulin Park
Clondalkin: Corkagh Park (St Johns Road entrance car-park); Corkagh Park (Green Isle car-park at Caravan Park entrance); Collinstown Park; Quarryvale Park; Foxdene open space; Foxborough Park open space; Grand Canal Park (junction Bawnogue and Lockview Rd.)
Saggart: Park's Depot on Mill Lane
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
Templeogue: Tymon Park – Willington Car Park; Old Bawn; Aylesbury open space (beside shopping centre)
Firhouse: Car park at Cherryfield (off the link road between Firhouse Road and Spawell Roundabout)
Rathfarnham: Rathfarnham Castle Park – car park
Galway City
Up to January 14th
Ballyloughnane, Renmore – (beside Beach)
Cluain Fada – (City Council Depot)
Grattan Road Beach – (Beside the Beach)
Laurel Park, Newcastle - (Beside Playing Pitches)
Hunters – Barna Road – (City Council Depot)
Mervue – (on open space off McHugh Avenue)
Cork City
Up tp January 31st
Civic Amenity Recycling Centre, Kinsale Road
Parks Depot, Togher (adjacent to Clasduv Park)
Ballinlough Park (adjacent to Gus Healy Swimming Pool)
Skehard Road (Playground between old Cliffe and Kilbrack Lawn)
Green at junction of Ringmahon Road and Castle Road
Glen Amenity Park
Green at Junction of Murmont Road and Iona Road, Montenotte
Green adjacent to Tinkers Cross Traffic Lights
Green adjacent to Sam Allen Sports Complex, Knockfree Avenue, Gurranabraher
Green in front of new reservoir on Harbour View Road, Knocknaheeny
Parks Depot, Fairhill
Kennedy Park, Victoria Road
Lee Fields at Bottle Bank Site, Carrigrohane Road.
Waterford
Up to mid-January
The Civic Amenity site, Dungarvan
