Yes, it's over! The month of festivities, the over-indulgence, the obligatory family visits... But if you're a half-full kind of person then you'll be excited about the year ahead full of new beginnings, new chances to get things right, new opportunities and new adventures. 

So as a way to start the year right, here are some suggestions for recycling your Christmas tree and waste. 

Every year over 8 million real Christmas trees are being used and only one in every 10 trees is recycled. This year, why not cut your Christmas tree down to smaller pieces and place on a compost heap to be reused as food for your garden. If you don't create your own compost, why not take it to your nearest Household Waste and Recycling Centre where it will be turned to compost. 

Alternatively, on the 8th January at the Amersham Town Council, you can get your Christmas tree shredded free of charge. The Council parks staff will be at Hervines Park Depot from 10am to 1pm for the recycling.

A humungus 1 billion Christmas cards are sent each year! Tesco, M&S and WHSmith will also accept your used Christmas cards as part of their recycling schemes. And don't forget that the large Tesco on London Road has a recycling centre where they accept everything from cans to old ink cartridges and paper to be recycled in exchange for Tesco green clubcard points and vouchers. 

On average, every year over 80,000 tonnes of clothes end up in landfills every Christmas period. Why not instead support the local charity shops such as Oxfam and Help the Aged on Sycamore Road. Did you know you can also donate your old mobile phones to these two mentioned stores? 

Every year about 30% more rubbish is produced around Christmas time. This includes household waste, plastic, glass and more. Are you making an effort to recycle this year? Do you feel Amersham has sufficient recycling and waste management - from the waste collections as well as the disposal bins around the town and the nearby recycling centre? Add your comments below.