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insideKENT ’ S ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CHRISTMAS TREES CONT .
PILGRIMS HOSPICES
RECYCLING YOUR TREE
As the festive period comes to an end , households across the country will be looking to dispose of nearly eight million Christmas trees . For those with real Christmas trees , spruces or firs , it ’ s important that we dispose of them sustainably otherwise they may end up at landfill , in turn having huge impacts on the environment and costing taxpayers millions of pounds . There are several ways that we can effectively dispose of or recycle our trees and here are just a few :
1 . Repotting your Christmas tree in the garden will prolong its life . After Christmas , pop your tree into a container and leave it to do its thing and next year during the festive period you ’ ll have the perfect tree ready for decorating .
2 . Arrange a tree collection with your local council . They will often arrange a special service on specific days , so it ’ s best to check the website beforehand .
3 . Search for local tree recycling centres in your area , they will recycle trees into wood chippings or soil .
4 . Look for local charities or organisations that offer treecycling services .
RECYCLE YOUR TREE WITH THE PILGRIMS HOSPICES
The Pilgrims Hospices Tree Recycling initiative celebrated its 10th anniversary last year since originally starting in the Ashford Borough Council area and raised a staggering £ 125,000 for local hospice care in the time since it started . It continues to be available across the Ashford area , and has now also branched into Canterbury and Thanet offering doorstep collections .
“ Last year Pilgrims Hospices Tree Recycling campaign successfully collected more than 2,250 trees from areas in Ashford , Thanet and Canterbury , and included an additional drop-off point in Faversham ,” says Shirley Clark , marketing and communications coordinator , Pilgrims Hospices . “ The trees were collected by more than 125 volunteers and representatives of Pilgrims , helping our community to take care of the planet and hospice patients , one tree at a time .
The campaign became a record breaker and in total more than £ 42,700 was raised through donations for the collections . This brings the total raised from the initiative since its inception 10 years ago to an incredible total of £ 171,000 over the years . The Carbon Trust says that real trees have much lower
carbon footprints than artificial Christmas trees . If a two-metre tree is recycled , rather than ending up in landfill , it will reduce your carbon footprint by 80 %.”
To recycle your tree with Pilgrims Hospices , all you have to do is register online to arrange your collection , enter your details and submit a chosen donation . The friendly team of Pilgrims Hospice elves will then collect your tree and have it recycled at a local centre . Be sure to check dates and deadlines for booking your collection , as they will be unable to accept queries after the closing date and it gets booked out pretty quickly !
Details of the Tree Recycling campaign for 2023 can be found here :
www . pilgrimshospices . org / treerecycling
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