Plant, compost, reuse: What to do with your Christmas tree

Brussels residents who opted for real Christmas trees this holiday season have a number of options when it comes to disposing of them.

From 5 to 16 January, Bruxelles Propreté is organising a large-scale collection campaign for Christmas trees, at the same time as collecting regular green-bag garden waste.

An estimated 100 tonnes worth of trees will be collected during this period and most will end up at Brussels Compost, the regional agency’s composting centre. There, the trees will be shredded and turned into compost, which can be reused to improve soil fertility.

The pot and decorations must be removed before collection and the trees must not obstruct the pavement.

Bruxelles Propreté is asking residents to place their Christmas trees on the pavement in front of their homes on the day of garden waste collection. The exact dates can be found in the collection calendar on the agency’s website.

Artificial Christmas trees are not included in this collection but can be taken to the Recyparks, though the agency is instead encouraging residents to reuse artificial trees year after year.

Christmas trees with a root ball can be replanted in residents’ gardens, though it is important to let the tree spend too long in a shed or garage first, so that the temperature difference does not cause too much of a shock.

Residents who do this are advised to dig a hole that is as deep and wide as the root ball and water the tree sufficiently after planting. Adding compost regularly can help keep the tree healthy.

If you plan to reuse your live Christmas tree, it’s better to leave it in the pot when replanting. In that case, it is advisable to leave the tree outside for at least two years before bringing it back inside.

No Christmas tree burning events are organised in Brussels. However, this is still the case in several municipalities in Flanders and Wallonia.

There will also be no Christmas tree throwing competition in Auderghem this year, though organisers say they “are already looking forward to welcoming everyone back in January 2027 for the next edition of the Belgian Christmas tree throwing championship”.