What do you do with your Christmas tree after the festivities have finished?
For those who choose a synthetic tree, it will be back in the box until next year.
But for many others who have bought a farm-grown tree, it’s a tricky decision – a choice of leaving the tree outside or squeezing it into a green wheelie bin, which Dacorum Council will only collect in March.
To encourage tree recycling, Dacorum’s waste services team are again setting up a shredding machine, in Water Lane Car Park, Berkhamsted for one day only, Sunday, January 5, 2020.
The pine trees are chipped, and these natural chippings are then used to keep council flower beds weed-free across the borough, co-ordinated by the 1st Berkhamsted Scout Group.
1st Berkhamsted Group has organised a tree-collection service for over 10 years, where Christmas trees are picked up from people’s houses and taken to the shredding site.
Paul Chambers, 1st Berkhamsted Scout Leader, said: “The shredding day is popular, and there is often a queue to drop off a tree, we save people time by taking their tree for them in our large vans, which cuts the number of individual cars trips to the shredder.
“It’s better for the environment, and you don’t have to spend ages clearing pine needles from the back of your car.”
Since launching the service in 2009, the local Scouts have helped to transport more than 6,000 Christmas trees for shredding. The charity suggests a minimum voluntary contribution of £4 per tree collected.
The funds raised go towards equipment and activities for the children, maintenance of the Scout Huts, and financial support for trips and expeditions for the various local Scout groups.
From the December 1, tree collections can be booked and paid for in advance at 1stberkhamsted.org.uk/trees – the deadline for online bookings is midnight, January 3.
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