Brighton Xmas Trees
Brighton and Hove

Christmas tree recycling in Brighton & Hove: where to take your tree

4 min read · Published

Council drop-off points, the tip, garden waste bins and charity doorstep collections: every way to get rid of a real Christmas tree in Brighton and Hove, and what went wrong last year.

Brighton & Hove City Council opens free drop-off points for real Christmas trees each year after Christmas. You can also take a tree to the tip, put it out with your garden waste if you subscribe, or pay a charity to collect it from your door. Whichever you choose, take off every decoration and remove the pot or stand first.

This page will be updated when the council confirms this winter’s dates. The details below are from last winter (2025/26) unless we say otherwise.

1. Council drop-off points

Last winter the council’s Christmas tree recycling sites were open from Monday 29 December 2025 until Friday 6 February 2026 (Brighton & Hove News). The year before, there were 23 sites, open until 31 January (Brighton & Hove City Council).

Sites in past years have included the Level, the north-east corner of Preston Park, Hollingbury Park, Hove Lawns and Hove Park (Send Me A Christmas Tree). The full list and map are published on the council website each December.

2. The tip

Both household waste recycling centres take Christmas trees (The Green Centre):

  • Brighton: Wilson Avenue
  • Hove: Old Shoreham Road

For opening times, contact City Clean on 01273 292929.

3. Your garden waste bin

If you pay for the council’s garden waste collection, you can put a tree in your brown bin if it fits (The Green Centre). Last winter, for the first time, subscribers could also leave a tree next to their garden waste bin on their usual collection day (Brighton & Hove News; Brighton & Hove City Council).

Garden waste collections pause over Christmas. Last year the final round before Christmas was on Friday 19 December, and collections started again on Monday 5 January (Brighton & Hove News).

4. Charity doorstep collections

If you don’t have a car or can’t carry a tree, several charities will collect it from your door for a donation.

  • Brighton & Hove Soirée Rotary collected trees in Hove on Tuesday 6 January 2026. It asked for a minimum donation of £10, and trees had to be outside by 8am. The collection covered BN3 2 to BN3 7 postcodes only (Soirée Rotary).
  • The Martlets and Chestnut Tree House hospices have run doorstep collections for a small donation (Send Me A Christmas Tree). Check their websites in December for this year’s dates and areas.

People with limited mobility have said on r/brighton that carrying a tree to a drop-off point isn’t realistic for them (Reddit r/brighton). If that’s you, book a doorstep collection as soon as the dates are announced.

5. Don’t leave it on the pavement

The council says anyone who leaves a tree on the pavement, in the road or next to a communal bin could be fined for fly-tipping (Brighton & Hove News). In January 2025 it warned that dozens of trees had been dumped across the city instead of at official sites (Brighton & Hove City Council).

What happens to the trees

Trees from the council drop-off points go to the Woodlands in-vessel composting facility. There they are blended with garden waste and made into compost (Brighton & Hove City Council). Last winter the city collected more than 130 tonnes of trees (Brighton & Hove City Council).

What went wrong last year

Some drop-off points weren’t cleared until 21 February 2026. A councillor asked why. The cabinet member responsible replied that agency staff “was not reliable in the opening weeks of the collection window”, that people kept leaving trees “well into February”, and that “a full review of the collection regime will take place shortly” (Brighton & Hove City Council). He also said the scheme raised around £7,000 for charity.

The council’s 2026/27 budget papers include a proposal for “a new charged for Christmas tree collection service for residents”. The papers say free drop-off points would continue (Brighton & Hove City Council). We’ll update this page when the council confirms what happens this winter.

If you have a potted tree

A potted tree with roots doesn’t need recycling. Plant it in the garden or keep it in its pot for next year. The Carbon Trust calls replanting the preferred option. See Potted Christmas trees: how to keep one alive and replant it.

Sources

Find your Christmas tree.