Southall residents are being urged to give their Christmas trees a second lease of life by recycling them.

In January people can recycle real Christmas trees at 18 different parks and open spaces around the borough as well as at the three re-use and recycling centres. They will be shredded, turned into compost and mixed with soil to make the borough's parks and open spaces bloom next Spring.

Residents should remove all decorations and pots and leave the trees at the entrances of the following sites:

• - Southall Park (Green Drive entrance)
• - Spikes Bridge Park (West Ave entrance)

Alternatively residents can visit one of the borough’s re-use and recycling centres at Gordon Road, Southall or Greenford Road, Greenford.

Councillor Will Brooks, Cabinet Member for Environment and Street Services, said: “Last year we recycled over 8,500 Christmas trees, this year we hope to divert even more from landfill’.

“We are asking everyone with a real tree to either replant it, compost it at home or bring it to one of the listed locations for composting. The compost will help us keep our parks and open spaces looking beautiful in 2008.”

The weekly garden waste home collection service will not collect Christmas trees.