The return to work means many of us have already taken down our Christmas decorations.

But with January 5 the traditional deadline to cleanse your home of anything festive, there is not long to get rid of your real Christmas tree.

Most councils are offering to collect trees along with garden waste, while some charities are also offering to collect for a donation.

If re-planting is not for you, find out the best ways to get rid of your Christmas tree below.

Ashford

Residents can recycle their trees at the household waste and recycling centre in Cobbs Wood Industrial Estate.

Subscribers to Ashford Borough Council's garden recycling service can place a cut-up tree in their brown wheelie bin for collection.

Pilgrims Hospice is also running a fundraising tree collection service. Midnight on Sunday is the deadline to sign up.

Find out more here.

Canterbury

Canterbury City Council is collecting Christmas trees on specific days, you can check when to leave yours for collection by visiting the council's website.

Dartford

Residents can put trees in their brown recycling bin, or take it to Dartford Heath for recycling.

Dover

Dover District Council offer a real Christmas tree recycling service to all our garden waste subscribers.

Just place your tree out on your normal garden waste day between Monday, January 7 and Friday, February 1.

Folkestone and Hythe

Visit the Folkestone and Hythe District Council website for specific tree collection dates.

Gravesend

Garden waste collection subscribers can leave their Christmas tree in their brown bin, with garden waste services resuming next week after the festive break.

Otherwise the tree can be recycled at Pepperhill Tip.

Maidstone

Tovil Recycling Centre is accepting Christmas tree disposal, otherwise the garden waste collection service is available to subscribers.

Fremlin Walk shopping centre also has its own Christmas tree drop off point, opposite Maidstone Museum on St Faith's Street.

Medway

Trees can be dropped off at tips in Capstone, Cuxton or Hoath.

They can also be left with brown bag or brown wheelie bin collections.

Sevenoaks

The council is collecting real Christmas trees until Friday, February 1.

They will be collected on garden waste collection service days and you do not need to be subscribed to the service to have your tree collected.

Simply strip the tree of all decorations and leave it outside your property before 7am on the correct collection day.

All trees collected by Sevenoaks District Council are turned into environmentally friendly compost.

Swale

Disposal is possible at recycling centres in Faversham, Sheerness and Sittingbourne. Remove all tinsel, lights, decorations, tree stands and plastic bags from Christmas trees before disposing.

Thanet

The council will not collect Christmas trees from people's homes, instead it recommends residents to drop off their old tree at recycling centres in either Margate or Sandwich.

Tonbridge and Malling

Residents in Tonbridge and Malling can compost their real Christmas trees by placing them in or next to their green-lidded bin.

Tunbridge Wells

Real Christmas trees can be put into your brown bin or alongside them.

Please note bins which have trees or waste sticking out of the top cannot be emptied, while trunks should be no thicker than 10cm in diameter.