How to dispose of your Christmas tree

Love it or loathe it, the festive season in the Netherlands has come to an end. We’ve exchanged gifts, eaten our weight in delicious food, welcomed a new year, and are now facing a new week back at work. 

It can be such a busy time, and you might not have gotten around to taking down all the decorations yet. If you’re stressing about what to do with the Christmas tree that is taking up a large portion of your living room and shedding more and more pine needles by the day - don’t worry! When you’re ready to say goodbye to Christmas once and for all, there are a number of ways you can dispose of your tree. 

Rotterdam

If you live in Rotterdam, the municipality has arranged a daily pick-up service that runs between December 27 and January 28. Just place your Christmas tree on the street next to your local rubbish container or in the spot where you usually place your personal rubbish bins for collection. The municipality will then collect the trees, which will be used to make wood chips. Just make sure you remove all the decorations before placing the tree on the street!

There are also a number of tree collection points that will be open in the first week of January. If you drop your tree off at one of these locations, you'll receive cash for your Christmas tree (only 50 cents but it's better than nothing!). Check the municipality website for your nearest drop-off point.

The Hague

If you live in The Hague, then between January 2 and 11 you can place your tree on the pavement on your street, where it will be collected by the municipality. Make sure you check the waste collection schedule to know which day trees will be collected in your area, and be sure to put your tree out on the street before 7.45am. 

Alternatively, you can drop your tree off at the waste disposal point on either Plutostraat or De Werf. A number of districts are also running a campaign for children where they receive a raffle ticket for each tree, with the chance of winning big prizes. Take a look at the website for more information. 

Amsterdam

The municipality of Amsterdam has set up a different system for the collection of Christmas trees this year. If you live in the Dutch capital, then there are 2.000 collection points across the city where you can drop off your tree. The trees are collected daily from December 27 until January 19, and are turned into compost - again, make sure you remove all the decorations. Check the municipality website to find a Christmas tree point near you. 

Haarlem

Residents of Haarlem and Zandvoort can take part in the kerstboomactie and drop their trees off at their local collection point. Children aged 15 and under will receive 50 cents for each tree and will be entered into a raffle where they can win prizes worth up to 500 euros. Are you over the age of 15? You can still take part in the active, but you won't receive 50 cents or be entered in the prize draw.

Utrecht

In Utrecht, between January 3 and 28, you can drop your Christmas tree off at one of the 40 collection points located across the city. You can find your nearest drop-off point on the municipality website. Alternatively, during the days between January 8 and 19, you can simply place your tree out on the pavement outside your house before 8am on your local rubbish collection day(s).

Leiden

In Leiden, each district has an assigned pick-up day in the week of January 8 when the municipality will collect Christmas trees. On this day, you can just place your tree out on the street before 8am. To find out which day your district falls under, you can visit the municipality website. 

If you miss your pick-up day or would like to get rid of your tree before January 8, then you can drop it off at the waste disposal point between 8am and 4pm every Monday to Saturday.

Eindhoven

On Saturday, January 13, the municipality of Eindhoven will collect Christmas trees between 10am and 4pm from various drop-off points across the city. Find your local drop-off point on the municipality website.

Only 3 months until Easter...

Hopefully, you had a lovely and relaxing festive season, but if you are already lusting after the next public holiday then don't worry - Easter is only about three months away!