Ways To Recycle Your Tree This Festive Season
Did you know that 8 million trees are thrown out in the UK each year— all of this waste amounts to around 120,000 tonnes, which predominantly end up in landfill. Here are a range of ways you can dispose of your tree in a more sustainable way, read below to take a look:
1. CREATE YOUR OWN WOODCHIP MULCH
Convert your old Christmas tree into useful woodchip mulch by putting it through a shredder. Stack the chips at the back of a border for a few months to rot down before using them to mulch around trees and shrubs. If you don’t own a shredder, you can rent one, ask a neighbour, or contact your local gardening club.
2. DONATE IT TO YOUR LOCAL COUNCIL
Alternatively, give the tree to your local council’s green waste scheme. Most councils collect festive conifers in the new year and chip them to make municipal compost or mulch. You can also contact your local garden centre, or donate your tree to a coastal nature reserve, where it may be used to stabilise sand dunes.
3. REPURPOSE THE TREE IN YOUR GARDEN
Those fortunate enough to have their very own green space have an abundance of options when it comes to giving their Christmas Tree a second life. Strip the trunk of its branches and use it as a frame for fragrant climbing plants such as honeysuckle and jasmine to thrive come summertime. Then, collect the twigs in bundles and hang them up in a bush as a refuge for insects.
4. MAKE YOUR OWN FIREWOOD
Chop up your Christmas tree and using it as firewood. This will warm your home, save you some money on your electric bill, and fill your home with the comforting smell of burning pine.