CORNWALL Council will be offering a free collection service for real Christmas trees between January 14 and 25.

Residents should place the tree out for collection on the rubbish collection day on the alternate week to their recycling collection. The trees will be collected separately, shredded and composted.

Christmas cards can go in the kerbside recycling collection, in the cardboard sack and most wrapping paper can be recycled, except that coated with foil or plastic. All non-shiny paper can go in the paper sack.

Cardboard boxes should be flattened and put into the cardboard recycling sack. Big pieces of cardboard or large amounts can be flattened and bundled together and put out next to the recycling or taken to the household recycling centre.

Metal chocolate and biscuit tins can be put into the sack for plastic bottles and cans. Plastic biscuit containers cannot be recycled.

Extra recycling that does not fit in the containers can be put into carrier bags and put out with the rest of the items to be recycled.