AFTER the festive season is over, you may be thinking of burning your Christmas tree in your woodburning stove or open fire. Please ONLY do this unless it’s just a few small dry pieces. It could be dangerous otherwise.

Giving your old tree another use is great but there are several reasons why you should not burn your tree, unless perhaps it is just three or four hand-sized sprigs at a time, and preferably just as kindling. Christmas trees are usually pines or other conifers. The needles and small twigs dry out over a couple of months following the festive celebrations (they’ll dry faster if you cut up the sprigs and branches). The large surface area of all those dry needles makes them very flammable and it’s all too easy to have a lot of flame going up the chimney. The shower of sparks produced by such a fire can be difficult to control and with an open fire his could cause havoc in the room. There’s an increased risk of setting the chimney on fire.

So, how should you get rid of your Christmas tree safely? Unless you want to burn the tree a few small pieces at a time… just take the tree to your nearest waste recycling facility. In some areas local charities will collect it for you in return for a donation.