It may be the second week in January but there are still loads of Christmas trees in Edinburgh.

The forest of Christmas trees littering the streets of the Capital has led to dozens of complaints from residents as refuse workers struggle to keep on top of demand.

The council’s waste teams are picking up Christmas trees for recycling free of charge on designated days for different addresses across Edinburgh.


Between Boxing Day last year and 8 January the council received 54 complaints concerning Christmas trees.

Transport and Environment Convener Lesley Macinnes


Transport and Environment convener, Cllr Lesley Macinnes, said: “We have experienced a slight delay to Christmas tree collections, particularly in areas with communal bins, due to the volume of trees being presented.
“We are committed to providing a free Christmas tree recycling service in Edinburgh and are working hard to collect any outstanding trees. There will be a number of dedicated crews out over the weekend, focusing on areas with communal bins, who will collect any trees left out as quickly as possible.
“Those residents with a kerbside bin collections should consult the website for collection dates and if you believe yours has been missed then please report this to us.”
Christmas trees can also be recycled at any of the council’s household waste recycling centres.

Editor’s note : You can follow an Instagram account called Lonely Christmas Tree here which shows some of the trees on Edinburgh’s streets.

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