Say goodbye to your Christmas trees responsibly: they ask you to take your decorated trees to the designated collection points. Those who flout the rules may face fines

Say goodbye to your Christmas trees responsibly: they ask you to take your decorated trees to the designated collection points. Those who flout the rules may face fines

As the year’s major festivities draw to a close, many people are already saying goodbye to their Christmas trees, and it is traditional to take down the festive decorations in all homes and town squares on 6 January, the feast of the Three Kings. However, it’s not when but how we say goodbye that counts: we should decorate them and deliver them to the tree collection points indicated by the municipality. Martynas Naujokas from Civinity Namai tells us how to do it and what is at stake for residents who do not comply.

Say goodbye to Christmas trees responsibly

According to Mr Naujokas, although the procedure for collecting Christmas trees has been in force in Lithuania for several years, there are still cases where trees are discarded improperly after the holidays, either in the courtyards of apartment buildings or by the bins. It is also important to know that throwing Christmas trees or their branches in a mixed waste container is also prohibited.

“When you say goodbye to your Christmas tree, you must first decorate it and then take it to the collection points. It is also important that at the collection points, the tree or parts of it are left free of plastic and paper: they must not be in bags or wrapped in plastic,” says a spokesperson for Civinity Namai.

Christmas trees collected in special places are taken to a green waste site for recycling, and are made into biofuel and compost, so we are saying goodbye to Christmas decorations in a way that is environmentally friendly.

An extensive list of collection points

Many residents hesitate to deliver their Christmas tree to the collection point for fear of having to transport it far away.

In fact, once the festive period is over, city councils offer a wide range of collection points, so it is likely that many people will find their nearest collection point in their neighbourhood.

This year, Vilnius has 102 Christmas tree collection points spread across all the city’s districts, Kaunas has 153 collection points and Klaipėda has 4.

Christmas trees can also be taken to bulky and green waste collection sites. In Vilnius, residents will find them at 50 Pilaitė Ave., 113B Liepkalnio St., 36C V.A. Graičiūno St., 209S Pramonės St. and 1 Pumpėnų St. In Kaunas, Nemajūnų g. 15A, and in Klaipėda, Šiaurės pr. 30, Tilžės g. 66A and Plieno g. 13.

Collection start times vary by city

The locations designated for the collection of Christmas trees are set up at different times in the cities, so residents should pay attention to this. In Vilnius, Christmas trees and their branches are collected from 6 January, in Kaunas on 2 January and in Klaipėda on 4 January.

The end of collection dates also vary. Vilnius and Kaunas will collect Christmas trees throughout the whole month of January, while in Klaipėda the green trees will have to be delivered no later than 12 January.

Fines for flouting the rules

If you dispose of your Christmas tree in an improper way, such as leaving it in the yards of apartment blocks, on the roadside, by the communal bins, or in a mixed waste container, you could face administrative liability and a fine of up to 600 euros.