What's the best way to recycle and declutter your home after Christmas? 

Pretty much everyone has more waste in their house than usual and Sunday Times Climate Supplement Editor Jo Linehan said most people are “probably sick of looking at the tree at this stage” as well. 

“If you have a real one, bring it to your local amenity site, you can Google where the local one is for you,” she told The Pat Kenny Show. 

“All over the country, county councils are offering free services where they will take your Christmas tree and they will do good with it. 

“I know in Killiney, they use it for mulch.” 

If you have a fake one, a local amenity site will be able to recycle it responsibly - although some people might prefer to chop it up and use it for firewood. 

“There are a few old school people who [get rid of it] themselves but please no dumping,” Ms Linehan said. 

“Especially if it’s fake. Whatever about it being real, no dumping when it’s fake - there are ways to get rid of it.” 

Electronics

Small electronic items are also likely to accumulate and often just end up in the bin. 

It’s a huge waste of precious resources that could easily be recycled. 

“There’s enough cables being thrown away every year to circle the earth 107 times,” Ms Linehan said.  

“In Ireland, we’re throwing away 25 million small electronic goods,” she said. 

“They might not be the things that you think of - the smoke detectors, the fairy lights, the Christmas lights, the train sets that broke over the past season. 

“So, again, really important to find a good home for them.” 

The same principle applies to phones, which are also easily recyclable and sometimes worth a fair bit of money. 

“We have hundreds of thousands of smartphones sitting in drawers, under the bed and obviously people will have gotten new smart technology this Christmas,” she said. 

“So, what I say is… sell it on and make a few quid. Vodafone, Swappie, they all offer services where you can bring in your old smartphone and they will give you either cash or a voucher for it.” 

Ireland has committed itself to recycling 55% of all municipal waste by 2025 and 60% by 2030.

Main image: A Christmas tree.