Christmas Trees in Whitley Bay: Where to Buy and Recycle

Whitley Bay is well placed for a real Christmas tree. The nearest specialist tree yard is only a few minutes north at Seaton Delaval, there is a supermarket option on Foxhunters Road, and the big DIY store at the Silverlink is a short drive down the A191. When it is all over, a local hospice will collect the tree from your doorstep.

This guide covers where to buy, how to keep the tree fresh, and how to get rid of it in January. For the Spanish City switch-on, Santa and the panto, see our Christmas in Whitley Bay guide.

Where to buy a real tree

Edelweiss Christmas Tree Co., Seaton Delaval

The closest specialist to Whitley Bay is Edelweiss Christmas Tree Co. on Double Row at Seaton Delaval, roughly five to ten minutes' drive from Monkseaton and the seafront. It is a seasonal yard selling cut and living trees, including a top grade it calls Emerald, alongside wreaths, garlands and loose foliage sold by the kilo for anyone making their own wreath. Trees over 12ft have needed ordering in advance. The yard usually opens in the last week of November and has sold out well before Christmas in past years. Its 2026 opening date has not been announced yet, so check its Instagram page before you go.

Aldi, Foxhunters Road

For a straightforward 6ft tree at a supermarket price, Aldi on Foxhunters Road is worth watching. In recent years Aldi has sold real Nordmann firs as a limited Specialbuy from late November, in medium and large sizes, and in 2025 both were under £20. They go fast, so look out for the announcement in November. Aldi has not published its 2026 date or prices yet.

B&Q North Shields

B&Q North Shields on Middle Engine Lane, near the Silverlink, has the widest range of sizes nearby, with real cut trees, Nordmann fir among them, sold through December alongside stands, lights and artificial trees. Stock varies by branch, so check the store on diy.com first. It is open Monday to Saturday from 7am to 8pm and on Sundays from 10am to 4pm.

Choosing and caring for your tree

Most trees on sale locally are Nordmann fir or Norway spruce. Nordmann has soft, dark needles that stay on well indoors, so it is the one to buy if you like the tree up from the start of December. Norway spruce is the traditional, more fragrant tree and is often cheaper, but it sheds sooner in a heated room and is best bought a week or two before Christmas.

• Check freshness by running a hand along a branch. Very few green needles should come away.
• Cut a couple of centimetres off the trunk when you get home and put it straight into water.
• Choose a stand with a water reservoir and top it up every day, especially in the first week.
• Keep the tree away from radiators, fires and direct sun, and leave it in a cool porch or yard until you are ready to bring it in.

If you would like a tree to plant out afterwards, ask Edelweiss about its living trees, and keep it indoors for as short a spell as you can.

Recycling your tree in January

St Oswald's Hospice Christmas Tree-cycle

St Oswald's Hospice runs a Christmas Tree-cycle that collects real trees from homes across NE23 to NE30, which covers Whitley Bay, Monkseaton and Whitley Lodge. For January 2027 collections run from Monday 4 January to Saturday 23 January, or from Twelfth Night (Wednesday 6 January) if you would rather keep the tree up. The suggested donation is £15 per tree. Last January the hospice collected 5,000 trees and raised close to £100,000, and slots have filled within the first few days of January in recent years, so book early on the St Oswald's Tree-cycle page. The hospice's Park View charity shop is the local branch if you want to support it in other ways.

Your garden waste bin

North Tyneside's garden waste collections are a paid subscription (£35 for 2026) and run from March to November only, with no collections over winter. That means there is no kerbside pick-up for a tree in January. Subscribers can cut the tree into pieces and keep it for the first collection when the service restarts in the spring. Details are on the council's garden waste page. No separate January tree collection has been announced, so check the council's website in December.

The tip on Wallsend Road

North Tyneside's household waste recycling centre is on Wallsend Road, North Shields, NE29 7SH, around 15 minutes' drive from Whitley Bay. Garden waste, trees included, is accepted free of charge. The site is for North Tyneside residents only and everyone needs to book an appointment through the council's recycling centre page. Vans need a permit and there is no pedestrian access. It opens from 8am every day except Christmas Day.

Artificial trees

If you have an artificial tree you no longer use, offer it to a community group, school or charity shop rather than binning it, and ask before dropping it off.