Recycling appeal as Trafalgar tree shredded

The call came as councils across the country urged residents to recycle their Christmas waste – with the Local Government Association publishing research estimating that it costs local authorities up to £78 million to landfill household rubbish put out over the festive season.

The massive tree on Trafalgar Square was put through an industrial chipping machine and will go on to be turned into fertilising mulch for use by Connaught Farm Nurseries based in Loughton.

Mr Johnson said that Londoners could do the same by using their borough recycling schemes to recycle and compost their trees. Alternatively, he suggested that potted trees can be planted in the garden or donated to someone who has space to replant them.

All 33 London boroughs offer tree recycling services, with 27 of these offering a collection from home service and 26 opening special drop off points for a specific period to collect Christmas trees for recycling. Last year the London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames alone collected around 20,000 Christmas trees for recycling

Mr Johnson said: “The Trafalgar Square tree is the mother of all Christmas trees, so it is right that we take the lead in disposing of it in an eco-friendly way. I call on Londoners to bestow a last act of kindness to the forest of trees that have given so much pleasure in our sitting rooms, and ensure they are recycled to have a more fruitful future than being cruelly tossed away.”

Cost

The comments in London came after the Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils in England and Wales, published research highlighting the cost of Christmas waste if it is not recycled.

Research by the Association found that householders throw away an estimated three million tonnes of rubbish over the festive season and that, depending on how much people recycle, up to two million tonnes of this could end up in landfill.

As councils pay £40 in tax to the government for every tonne of rubbish they landfill, the Association reasoned that councils could be left with a bill of £78 million for getting rid of Christmas waste.

Councils across the country are urging residents to recycle as much rubbish as possible so that more can be spent on other frontline services like care for the elderly. People are being urged to freeze their Christmas leftovers, compost their fruit and vegetable peelings and make sure cans, bottles and paper are put in the recycling.

The LGA found that the rubbish collected over Christmas includes:
• 230,000 tonnes of festive food
• 125,000 tonnes of plastic packaging
• 20,000 tonnes of Christmas cards
• 12,000 tonnes of Christmas trees
• 10,000 tonnes of Christmas wrapping paper
• 3,000 tonnes of aluminium foil used to wrap Christmas turkeys

Cllr Gary Porter, chairman of the LGA Environment Board, said: “The more people recycle, the less money councils have to pay in landfill tax and the more they can spend on other services, like care for the elderly.

“All those presents, beer cans and food wrappers quickly add up. Freezing leftovers, composting and recycling are all simple ways people can help the environment and save themselves money. People are already keen to recycle their rubbish and these figures remind us why it's important to do even more.”