SOME CALL TODAY Little Christmas, others Women’s Christmas and many the Feast of the Epiphany.

However you mark 6 January in your calendar, it generally means the end of the Christmas season and a return to business-as-usual.

Although most of us are back at the old grind a few days now, the tree could still be up and the lights still twinkling. It’s time for that to change as today marks the traditional deadline for packing the festive fancies away.

To ensure that trees up and down the country are disposed of responsibly, city and county councils have opened recycling and drop-off depots across Ireland.

Here is TheJournal.ie‘s handy roundup of where to kindly dispose of your tree:

Dublin City Council will accept Christmas trees (sans decorations) for free until 22 January. The following are all drop-off points:

• Windmill Road Bring Centre, Crumlin
• Gulistan Terrace Bring Centre, Rathimes
• Oscar Traynor Road Bring Centre, Coolock
• Pigeon House Road Recycling Centre, Ringsend
• Shamrock Terrace Recycling Centre, Northstrand
• Milltown Car Park, Milltown Road
• Car Park at Martello Tower, Strand Road, Sandymount
• Car Park on Clontarf Road beside the former Traffic School
• Albert College Car Park, Glasnevin
• Mellowes Parks Depot, Finglas
• Walkinstown Green, at Church Bunting Park
• Poddle Park, Kimmage
• Croke Park (the Cusask Stand, via St. Joseph’s Avenue)

Galway City Council will begin its tree recycling service on 9 January it will cease operations on 14 January so don’t get too fond of those sparkling lights.

Drop off points in Galway can be found a:

• Barna/Lough Rusheen City Council Depot on Barna Road
• Merlin Woods City Council Depot at Doughiska Park

There is a charge of €1 but you will receive a bag of compost.

Cork City Council’s disposal services are open since 3 January and will remain so until 31 January. Locations as follows:

• Civic Amenity Recycling Centre, Kinsale Road
• Parks Depot, Togher (adjacent to Clashduv Park)
• Ballinlough Park (adjacent to Gus Healy Swimming Pool)
• Skehard Road (Playground between Old Cliffe & Kilbrack Lawn)
• Green at junction of Ringmahon Road and Castle Road
• Glen Amenity Park
• Green at junction of Murmont Rd. & Iona Rd., Montenotte
• Green adjacent to Tinkers Cross Traffic Lights
• Green adjacent to Sam Allen Sports Complex, Knockfree Avenue, Gurranabraher
• Green in front of new reservoir on Harbour View Road, Knocknaheeny
• Parks Depot, Fairhill
• Kennedy Park, Victoria Road
• Lee Fields at Bottle Bank Site, Carrigrohane Road

If you are in Kilkenny, your tree can be kindly disposed of until 14 January at the following locations:

• Dunmore Waste Disposal and Recycling Centre
• Fair Green, Callan
• Fair Green, Graiguenamanagh
• Next to the Bottle Banks at Bennettsbridge
• Quay Car Park, Thomastown
• Assumption Place, Urlingford
• The Square, Freshford
• Fair Green, Ballyragget
• Castlecomer Council Yard, Donaguile
• Outside the new graveyard at Mooncoin
• Piltown Pound Car Park

Limerick City Council will begin shredding trees tomorrow at Watchouse Cross Centre at Moyross. The roving disposal service will then move to Childers Road on Weston on Friday and Park Road Depot at Rhebogue on Saturday. The services will reopen on Friday 15 January at Watchouse Cross Centre and on 16 January at Childers Road.

The Kilbarry Civic Amenity Site in Waterford City is the designated drop off point for Christmas trees to be shredded and composted.

In Donegal, six recycling centres have been opened at Carndonagh, Laghey, Dungloe, Letterkenny, Milford and Stranorlar. They will remain open until 31 January.

In Kildare, trees can be left at the Council Nursery in Newbridge, the Council Depot in Maynooth or the Clane GAA Club. All trees will be shredded and used as compost or landscaping material.

There are numerous collection points in Wicklow open from today until 21 January, including Arklow Recycling Centre, the Aughrim Tidy Towns Pavillion, Avoca Recycling Centre, Rampere Recycling Centre, Bray Recycling Centre, Festina Lente Foundation, St. Cronan’s National School, Council Office at Greystones, Murrough Recycling Centre and the Green King in Coolbeg.

In Meath, trees will be accepted at Navan, Trim and Kells Recycling Centres and Ashbourne Community Centre until 14 January. The County Council in Duleek and Dunshaughlin will take trees until 10 January.

Other Christmas Tree recycling points can be found here.
For an alternative way to dispose of your tree, why not go along to Ireland’s first ever Christmas Tree Throwing Championship in Ennis, Co. Clare on the 7 January.

Repak, the recycling group, has launched a new app for smartphones to provide information about recycling centre opening times and locations, as well as materials accepted. The Recyclemore app can be found on iTunes or Android Market.

Other handy tips provided by the group are available on the website www.repak.ie.

Read: In numbers: what we consume over Christmas>