Hundreds of eco-savvy residents headed to Garsons in Esher for Elmbridge Council’s Christmas tree recycling event.

The council recycling team collected 10 tonnes of trees brought in on Saturday, January 5, by residents who would rather see their tree turned into compost and used on agricultural land than going to landfill.

An further four tonnes of trees were collected this year compared with 2012, and the amount brought to the event was double that of January 2011.

Councillor Glenn Dearlove, portfolio holder for the environment, said: “Thank you to everyone who came down and also to those who took their tree to the tip or used the fortnightly garden waste subscription service provided by the council.

“A great deal of waste is produced over Christmas and it’s important we keep the impact as low as possible. So an additional thank you to everyone for working with us to get bins collected over Christmas and New Year and for a bumper recycling collection.”