More than 5,000 trees were collected

More than 5,000 trees, weighing about seven tonnes, were collected by the city council over 10 days in January.

The council had never recycled more than 4,700 trees before.

Most of the waste, which was collected at four different sites in the city, will be turned into compost.

Hannah Phoenix, an environmental officer for the authority, said it was good news that people are increasingly getting involved in recycling.

"It's very encouraging that residents are becoming more and more interested in the environment and are realising that we are running out of space for landfill sites where we simply bury our rubbish," she said.

"The ongoing success of the Christmas tree recycling scheme is very rewarding for all council staff involved."

She added that recycling plant waste is not just a Christmas issue.