How You Can Dispose of Your Christmas Tree – And Support Children’s Hospices

Published on: 4 Dec, 2025
Updated on: 4 Dec, 2025

If you’re planning to dispose of your Christmas tree in January, you can help a worthwhile charity at the same time – and also support the environment.

Shooting Star Children’s Hospices have announced the return of their Christmas tree collection service.

This January, in exchange for a donation, they will collect your real Christmas tree, take it away and recycle it. All funds raised will help support local families who have a baby, child or young person with a life-limiting condition, or who have been bereaved.

Working in partnership with JustHelping, a charity that empowers communities to raise money for local causes, Shooting Star Children’s Hospices will receive 90 per cent of money raised, with the other 10 per cent distributed to other local charities.

This year, the charity is putting even more focus on sustainability. Recycling and chipping your real Christmas tree with Shooting Star will reduce its carbon footprint by up to 80 per cent.

Last year, Shooting Star collected 775 trees, which saved over 12,500kg of C02 emissions.

Trees will be recycled into environmentally friendly compost by Merrist Wood College for the Guildford-based collection. For the Hampton-based collection, trees will be chipped sustainably by The Tree Agency.

Operating within a radius of Merrist Wood College in Worplesdon and Shooting Star House in Hampton, the charity’s volunteers will collect trees from 24 postcodes in the GU, TW and KT areas. All you need to do is sign up and register your tree soon.

Sponsoring the collection for the second-year running is Ridge, a Built Environment Consultancy, who said: “At Ridge, we’re always looking for meaningful ways to create lasting, positive change in the communities where we live and work. We’re humbled by the incredible work that Shooting Star do to bring light and comfort to families in their darkest hours.”

The Corporate Relationship Manager at Shooting Star, Ellie Constable, said: “We’re thrilled to announce the return of our Christmas tree collection service for its fourth year.

“As well as a huge thank you to our main sponsors, Ridge, we are delighted to have a wealth of volunteers from corporate supporters including SKY, Kier Highways, Ellis Wines, Balfour Beatty, Hill Group, Burbeck Interiors, Galliford Try and Drainline.

“By signing up and giving a donation, you’ll directly help bring comfort and joy to local families across Surrey and south-west London and north-west London.”

Collections will take place from Monday, January 12 to Tuesday January 13. You can register here: https://just-helping.org.uk/register-tree

Postcodes covered:
GU1, GU2, GU3, GU4, GU5, GU6, GU7, GU8, GU12, GU21, GU22, GU23, GU24, TW1, TW2, TW9, TW10, TW11, TW12, TW13, TW16, TW17, KT14 and KT16.