The festive season is, sadly, beginning to wind down, and over the coming days we’ll all be stripping the decorations off our Christmas trees.
For those of us who went for a real tree this year, there’s always the concern of how to actually get rid of the thing once the celebrations are done.
You can take your tree to a local recycling centre, but if you don’t fancy a boot full of pine needles, local councils are also offering collections.
Just remember to use all traces of tinsel, baubles, fairy lights and whatever else you’ve used to decorate.
Here’s what you need to know for each Greater Manchester borough.
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Manchester
It’s dead easy to recycle your real Christmas tree if you live in Manchester.
Just leave it next to your green bin on any of the green bin collection days in January and they’ll take it away for you.
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Salford
Christmas tree collections are running across Greater Manchester. Credit: Unsplash
Real Salford Christmas trees need to go in the garden waste bin, which is the one with the pink lid.
As with all the boroughs, it needs to be chopped up so the lid shuts, with no branches thicker than your wrist.
Wigan
You can stick your Christmas tree in the green bin in Wigan, chopping it down into pieces if you need to.
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Wigan Council will accept any branches smaller than 15cm in diameter, so if your tree is bigger than that, you’ll need to dispose of it another way.
Bolton
Bolton Council will come and collect, and recycle, your real tree – but for a fee.
For £16, they’ll collect your tree. Just call 01024 336632 before Friday January 7 to arrange.
Bury
Credit: Unsplash
Bury locals – you’re going to need to get your Christmas tree into your brown bin, unless you fancy a trip to a recycling centre.
It needs to fit inside with the lid fully closed before the council will collect it.
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Rochdale
In Rochdale, you can put the base of your tree in your dark green bin, then chop up the rest and put it in the brown bin (as long as the lid can close).
The trunk needs to be thinner than your wrist, as a guideline – if it’s bigger than that, you’ll have to take it to a recycling point, which are listed here.
Oldham
If you live in Oldham, you’re another one who can recycle your tree just in the same way you would your normal garden waste.
Just chop it up and stick it in your green recycling bin ready for collection as normal.
Tameside
In Tameside, real trees can just be left out with your brown bins ready for recycling – with collections set to take place on January 10.
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The council will also collect your additional recyclable waste (and we’ve all got tonnes of that after Christmas), as long as it’s left out with your black or blue bins in a clear or labelled bag.
Stockport
Stockport is another council that’s happy to take away and recycle your real Christmas tree as they would all your garden waste.
Chop it up to compost in your green bin.
Trafford
Trafford Council will no longer take your tree away if it’s left beside your bin, so you’re going to have to chop it up and stick it in your green bin.
The lid needs to close and all decorations and bases need to be removed (they can go in your grey bin if you don’t want to reuse them next year).
Featured image: Flickr
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First batch of special releases for Record Store Day UK 2026 announced
Danny Jones
Yes, it’s nearly time for Record Store Day 2026, and the list of the first dozen or so limited edition releases here in the UK has just been announced.
With a fair few familiar and, more importantly, Northern names on there (but of course), #RSDUK26 is set to be another great one.
A total of 15 songs have been named on the lineup for this year so far, and yet again, the drops are in support of War Child, who will also be hosting a number of very special and intimate charity gigs during BRITs Week.
The two organisations have collaborated for the sixth time after having first joined forces back in 2020, and it feels like both the annual observance and its catalogue have only got better ever since.
Plenty that have caught our attention already, and there’s only more set to come…
As detailed in the post on social media, the Record Store Day team have retierated that “£1 from every single copy sold of these releases will be donated to the charity, helping to protect, educate, and stand up for the rights of the children who are living through conflict around the world.”
We quickly noticed the likes of The Cure, Fleetwood Mac, Kaiser Chiefs, Mark Knopfler and Bring Me The Horizon, just to name a few.
Once more, here is the RSD 2026 release list in full:
Record Store Day release list | 2026
Corinne Bailey Rae – Live In New York
The Cure – Greatest Hits and Acoustic Hits (compilations)
Divorce – Live at Get Together 2025 for War Child
Dr Feelgood – Oily City Confidential (OST)
Fleetwood Mac – The Original Fleetwood Mac (compilation)
James Dean Bradfield – The Great Western
Kaiser Chiefs – The Future Is Medieval
Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris – ‘All The Roadrunning’
Nicky Wire – Intimism
Primal Scream – Echo Dek
Rory Gallagher – Calling Card
Sigrid x BMTH – ‘Bad Life’
The Streets – Computers & Blues
The Vaccines – What Did You Expect…. Demos and B-sides
As always, all of these titles will be available behind the counter exclusively at indie record shops all over the country on Saturday, 18 April to celebrate Record Store Day UK 2026.
Oh, and if you need help with where to start, look no further.
Manchester City youth Sverre Nypan returns from Championship loan
Danny Jones
Young midfielder Sverre Nypan is returning to Manchester City this January transfer window.
Man City had a fairly busy window, both in terms of new arrivals and outgoings – not least of all due to somewhat of an injury crisis along their backline – which also involved a fair few youth loanees recalled and/or sent back on other spells.
While the big stories were obviously the signing of Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth and Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace, another move that has been confirmed before close on deadline day is Nypan being recalled from his loan in the Championship.
The Norwegian international, whose senior chapter is only just beginning, has spent this season on loan at Middlesbrough, who currently sit joint first in the second-tier table, are level on clean sheets with nine kept across the 20 games so far this campaign, and have the second-best goal difference (18).
Not only is that nearly a shutout nearly every other game, but while things haven’t quite gone the 19-year-old’s way, he did show promise in parts when played by head coach Kim Hellberg.
Still clearly a highly-rated prospect, with Boro fans stating that he showed “real glimpses of quality” even despite being thrown into one of the most physical leagues in the world, and perhaps too soon in his career, there’s definitely a player there.
More of an offensive-minded player, the Eliteserien academy product clearly has potential to be built on, but it remains to be seen what his level is right now, at least when it comes to English football.
City and their supporters certainly seem to think so, too, as while some are expecting him to go back out on a deal somewhere else, others think now could be a good time to give him some minutes in the wider first-team setup.
With Pep Guardiola’s squad still in all four possible competitions in 2025/26, he could be a useful rotation option – especially in the remaining domestic cup games.
It has now been confirmed that he has been given the number 41 shirt, so plenty are now expecting him to stay and add some more defensive strength in depth.
Nypan was signed by the City Football Group (CFG) from Rosenborg last year for a reported £12.5 million, but went on to start just three games for the North East side, and it has now been confirmed that what was supposed to be a full-term contract was mutually terminated by both teams.
With literally just hours left of the winter window, it now looks most likely that he will stay and continue his development with Pep, who has certainly given youngsters a chance and sometimes deploys them in alternative and often even unexpected positions. Could Nypan be used as an auxiliary defender?
However, there is always the chance of a late twist when it comes to transfers, and some have speculated that he could be sent to another CFG franchise.
Would you like to see him stay at the club and gradually work his way into the picture, Blues?
Daisy Jackson -
29th December 2021 
