Christmas tree recycling rate falls in Brighton and Hove

The number of people who recycled their Christmas tree this year has fallen – and a surge in people opting for artificial trees is thought to be to blame.

It may also be down to people investing in rooted trees which they can re-use next season, according to the city council.

Brighton and Hove City Council reported 78 tonnes of trees were collected and recycled after Christmas, down from 96 tonnes the previous year.

It is thought the figures have dropped after an increasing number of green-minded residents shunned the authentic pine trees in favour of sustainable artificial trees.

There were a total of 18 recycling centres across the city between December 27 and January 23 that offered people a chance to recycle their surplus trees instead of sending them to landfill.

A spokesman from Brighton and Hove City Council said it promoted the recycling sites through social media outlets and had a greater response than in previous years.

The spokesman said: “We have promoted the sites on all of our social media outlets this year and have had a greater number of hits than before. It might be that people have been buying more sustainably, with rooted trees or artificial ones.”

However, one resident suggested it was because the council had not promoted the recycling sites well enough.

Talia Clarke, 21, of Princes Crescent, said: “I didn’t realise there was a tree recycling scheme. I saw a few abandoned trees by bins this year so maybe there are not enough sites and clearly not enough publicity about them.”

After Christmas trees were collected from the recycling sites, they were sent to a composting factory along with other garden waste to be turned into soil conditioner. The conditioner, called Pro Grow, is now on sale to the public from all local recycling centres.

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