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 about the Christmas tree taking up a large portion of your living room and shedding more and more pine needles by the day - don’t worry! If you’re ready to say goodbye to Christmas once and for all, here 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 until January 15. 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!
It's also worth noting that if you live in Charlois, Feijenoord, Hillegersberg-Schiebroek, Hoogvliet, IJsselmonde or Pernis then your tree is worth some cash! If you take your tree to one of the 12 participating locations then you can receive 50 cents for every tree - it might not be much, but at least it’s something!
The Hague
If you live in The Hague, then you have up until January 13 to 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 7.45 am.
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 a tree, and are in with the chance of winning big. 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 1.100 collection points across the city where you can drop off your tree. These collection points will remain in place until February 1, and the trees are collected daily 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.
There are also two other locations in Amsterdam South (Stadionplein) and in Amsterdam West (Wachterliedplantsoen) where you can exchange your tree for a sustainable item made from Christmas trees, such as a candle or an insect hotel.
Utrecht
In Utrecht, from January 4 to January 29 you can drop your Christmas tree off at one of the 21 collection points located across the city. You can find your nearest drop-off point on the municipality website. Alternatively, up until January 15, you can simply place your tree out on the pavement outside your house before 8 am on your local rubbish collection day(s).
Haarlem
Residents of Haarlem and Zandvoort can place their tree outside their house on set collection days which change depending on which district you live in. The trees have to be placed outside by 10 am. You can find out which collection days apply to you on the municipality website.
Leiden
In Leiden, each district has an assigned pick-up day this week for the municipality to collect Christmas trees. On this day, you can just place your tree out on the street before 8 am. To find out which day your district falls under, you can visit the municipality website.
If you’d like to hold on to your tree for a little longer, after this week you will still be able to drop it off at the waste disposal point Milieustraat. Similarly to Amsterdam, all trees from Leiden will be converted into compost.
Eindhoven
On Saturday, January 9, the municipality of Eindhoven will collect Christmas trees between 10 am and 4 pm from various drop-off points across the city. Find your local drop-off point on the municipality website.
Groningen
In Groningen, the municipality will collect Christmas trees up until January 16. You can place your tree on the pavement outside your house on one of the days specified on the municipality website (collection dates depend on which street you live on).
Only 90 days 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 90 days away!