A TREE-mendous initiative: SUEZ recycling and recovery UK and Surrey County Council partner with Princess Alice Hospice to recycle Christmas trees in Surrey

SUEZ recycling and recovery UK and Surrey County Council are supporting Princess Alice Hospice’s annual Christmas tree recycling scheme this festive season. Every year, it’s estimated that Brits buy a staggering 6 – 8 million Christmas trees, according to The British Christmas Tree Growers Association. Once collected after the festivities, the trees are taken to a recycling facility where they are processed through chipping machines to become compost.

A team of dedicated volunteers from Princess Alice Hospice will be out collecting Christmas trees from residents in Surrey from Friday 12 January to Tuesday 16 January 2024, before they’re brought to Surrey County Council’s transfer stations, run by SUEZ, to be recycled.

Princess Alice Hospice is welcoming donations from residents and in exchange will collect your Christmas tree, take it away and recycle it for you. All residents need to do is book a collection date and make sure the tree is visible from the road, placed out the front of the property by 8am on Friday 12 January 2024*. Then the amazing Volunteer Team of elves will come along and take it away for recycling!

Gareth Swain, Surrey Regional Manager for SUEZ recycling and recovery UK said: "We’re pleased to be partnering with Princess Alice Hospice on this fantastic initiative to raise vital funds for the charity. Every year a huge number of Christmas trees are put out by residents for collection following the festive period, so we’re pleased we can do our bit in Surrey to support the community with recycling, and Princess Alice Hospice with their fundraising."

Natalie Bramhall, Surrey County Council Cabinet member for Property, Waste and Infrastructure said: "Reducing, recycling and re-using waste is a big priority for us which is why I’d encourage residents to dispose of Christmas trees in the most sustainable and environmentally friendly way. Partnering up with Princess Alice Hospice is a great opportunity for residents to help reduce waste, while supporting an important charity. Residents can also take real Christmas trees to our local community recycling centres."

Claire Woodward, Community & Events Lead at Princess Alice Hospice, said: "We’re branching out to even more postcodes to offer people the opportunity to have their real Christmas trees recycled. A 2-metre real Christmas tree with no roots has a carbon footprint of 16kg CO2e if it ends up in landfill. Our trees are chipped and used in gardens and public parks across our community. The Carbon Trust states that having your Christmas tree chipped to spread on the garden will reduce the carbon footprint by up to 80%. So, if we collect and chip 2,000 trees that’s a lot of carbon reduction!

"We're so grateful to everybody doing their bit in their local communities for us, from people who've donated to have their Christmas tree collected, to local companies who've offered their vans to pick them up, and to our amazing volunteers who'll be out collecting trees across our care area, raising vital funds to allow us to continue delivering compassionate care into 2024."

For more information such as details on how to book your collection and to check there is a Christmas tree collection in your area, please visit here.

*Please note: Trees must be left out at the front of the property by the 12 January 2024 as volunteers will be out night and day collecting trees and do not want to miss any. If your tree is not put out by the 12 January it may not be collected.

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#SUEZ in the UK #United Kingdom #Christmas #Recycling