Rubbish news: there will be no kerbside collections of real Christmas trees in Cardiff this year due to strike action.
Cardiff Council has issued an update about rubbish collections following an announcement from Unite about strike action from the 28th December to the 25th January. Real Christmas tree collections is the most notable casualty and there will be no doorstep collections this year.
The council have asked residents to take their trees to a drop off point in Heath Park or take to Lamby Way or Bessemer recycling centres (booking required).
Alternatively, Tree Rex is doing its Charity Christmas Tree Collection in aid of @noahsarkcharity
Here is what they say on their website:
“As in previous years, our collection will start on Wednesday 3rd January 2024. We will collect ALL unwanted and spent real Christmas tree’s regardless of size in exchange for a donation to this great cause. In 2020 we noticed our streets littered with finished with tree’s and a massive spike in fly tipping. The Tree Rex Ltd team decided in 2021 to volunteer their time to come to you, raising well over £4,000 already. All the trees collected will be processed on the move through our road towable wood chipper and turned into a re usable bio-mass by product.
All we ask in exchange please, is a minimum donation of £3 per home. This is processed by the collection form on our website, linking to Paypal. We are unable to accept cash donation for pre planned collections. If you catch our teams during their rounds, they will be carrying Noah’s Ark donation pots for cash transaction. Please give as generously as you are able too, especially for substantial sized trees. We will be collecting real trees ONLY of ANY size (we’ve got the tools to handle this). No wreaths due to the wire / fixings within it. All trees must be completely stripped of all decorations and materials.”
To arrange collection, there is a form on their website.
Hygiene collections have also been impacted by the strike and will now be collected fortnightly with black bag (general waste) collections.
Here is the announcement by Cardiff Council in full:
Some waste collections in Cardiff are likely to be impacted following Unite’s decision to strike between Thursday, December 28, and Thursday, January 25.
Cardiff Council is putting a plan in place to maintain services and we apologise in advance to residents for any inconvenience.
Unfortunately, due to the strike the council will be unable to collect Christmas trees this year.
To help residents dispose of their trees, a Christmas tree drop-off point will be provided at Heath Park on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th January 2024, between 10am and 4pm.
Alternatively residents can bring their Christmas tree to either Lamby Way or Bessemer Close Recycling Centres – without making a booking through the online system.
If residents have space, their Christmas tree could also be chopped up and placed in their green bins until the garden waste collections re-start in the spring. We apologise for the inconvenience.
During the strike we aim to run all collection services as normal, apart from hygiene. Anyone registered with the hygiene service will have their hygiene waste collected every fortnight with black bag/black bin waste.
Residents are asked to check waste collection updates through the council’s website https://www.cardiff.gov.uk/ENG/resident/Rubbish-and-recycling/When-are-my-bins-collected/Pages/default.aspx or through the Cardiff Gov app – https://www.cardiff.gov.uk/ENG/resident/cardiff-gov-app/Pages/default.aspx . Strike action may cause some disruption and delays so the most up to date information will be available there.
The recycling centres at Lamby Way and Bessemer Close will remain open during usual operating hours and will not be affected by the strike action. For more information, please visit the council’s website: https://www.cardiff.gov.uk/ENG/resident/Rubbish-and-recycling/When-are-my-bins-collected/Pages/default.aspx
During periods of strike action, the council will always prioritise the collection of food waste, general waste and recycling to ensure that food and food waste containers are taken off the streets as quickly as possible, reducing the risk of the bags being split open by birds or animals creating street litter across the city.
We intend on clearing all waste as normal through the strike period with only hygiene waste moving to a fortnightly collection with black bag and black bin waste.
Once again, we thank you for your patience and we apologise for the inconvenience this strike action may cause you over the festive period.