Published on Thursday 3 January 2013 09:00

Once the New Year is upon us many homes start to focus on the clean up of the Christmas celebrations aftermath.

The freshly harvested tree now stands worse for wear and when the Christmas decorations are removed, it’s time for it to be ejected out of the house. There are plenty of options for its disposal.

There will be a number of Christmas tree collection points across the county including Dunmore Recycling and Waste Disposal Centre. The Recycling Centre will also accept faulty Christmas lights or any other electronic or broken battery operated Christmas decorations free of charge.

The collection period for trees will run between January 4 and 14. All sites will be cleared away promptly after January 14. The following are the designated drop off locations.

Callan Area: Kilkenny City Environs; Fair Green, Callan; Dunmore Waste Disposal and Recycling Centre (During Normal Opening Hours Only).

Thomastown Area: Fair Green Car Park, Graiguenamanagh; Adjacent to the Bottle Banks in Bennettsbridge; Quay Car Park, Thomastown.

Castlecomer Area: Entrance to Assumption Place, Urlingford; The Square, Freshford; Fair Green, Ballyragget; Castlecomer Council Yard, Donaguile.

South Kilkenny: Mooncoin, outside the new graveyard; Piltown Pound Car Park, Piltown.

Should a drop off location not be convenient to you, here are some alternative suggestions that will let your tree have a second wind by increasing the nature potential in your own back garden.

Bird Canteen: Leave the tree in its stand and place it on level footing somewhere in the garden. Trim its branches and redecorate it with edible bird treats. Make garlands of apple and orange slices, cheese balls, peanuts in the shell and hang pine cones coated with suet and wait for the arrival of a variety of feathered friends who will feast on the tree.

Wildlife Shelter: A single Christmas tree can shelter and act as a refuge for wildlife. A Christmas tree propped against its side in the corner of the yard will shelter birds and other wildlife. Alternatively, chop up the tree and make a woodpile for your back garden. As the wood rots away it provides an oasis for insects to feed, it can act as an incubator for insect larva which in time will be a rich and natural food resource for birds.

Boost the Productivity of your Composting Unit: Composting units this time of year, like some mammals, are in a state of hibernation. Adding some of the Christmas tree branches will provide air pockets as more organic material is added on top of the branches over the coming months. Air pockets are vital for a healthy composting unit as air encourages rapid decay once the composting unit exits its hibernation phase when spring is on the horizon.