There are several factors that come into play when choosing a Christmas tree. Aside from cost and size, one of the main factors is how to properly dispose of a Christmas tree after the New Year (or whenever suits you). 

Disposing of a real Christmas tree is a bit more hassle than simply putting an artificial one in the loft or cellar for the next 11 months. 

There are several ways to get rid of a tree, and many options are available to suit your needs and schedule. 

One thing that isn’t encouraged, though, is burning the tree in the fireplace. The needles from some tree species used for Christmas trees are covered with a highly flammable wax and filled with carbon dioxide. 

Burning some of the wood and pines from these trees can release intense heat and flames that can cause chimney fires or a fire in the home. Burning such materials can also lead to the release of deadly gasses. 

“Although it may seem like a good idea to use the Christmas tree as firewood after the Christmas season, it is actually very dangerous,” Morten Seljeskog at the Sintef research institute said. 

For this reason, the safest option is recycling. Christmas trees are defined as garden waste by most municipalities. This means that you should be able to drop it off at the local municipal recycling centre. 

It has to be a centre that handles garden waste, or it could be considered fly-tipping. Information on your nearest garden waste recycling centre will be available online. 

Given that getting the tree to the recycling centre may be a hassle, especially without a car, you will be relieved to hear that some authorities have their own Christmas tree collection dates. 

In Oslo, more than 1,000 collection points will be dotted around the city between January 8th and January 13th 2024. 

The trees should be laid at the collection site the night before they are picked up. They shouldn’t contain decorations, netting or pots as they are being sent straight to composting, and staff cannot remove plastic and other waste from the trees.

More information, such as the closest collection point to you, is available on the Oslo municipality website. 

In Stavanger, Christmas trees will be collected in the second and third weeks of the year. Tress must be put out in the evening the day before the usual collection day or the same morning. 

In Bergen and Trondheim, trees can be dropped off at recycling stations as garden waste. 

You can also choose to compost the Christmas tree on your private property if you have the room and are allowed to do so under your housing association rules.