Today (Friday) is the twelfth day of Christmas and traditionally time to take down your decorations.
Earlier in the week a Letter to the Editor from a News OnTheWight reader queried where and how to dispose of unwanted Christmas trees.
Referencing a time when there were drop-off points around the Island, the reader questioned the eco-friendliness of having to drive to one of the recycling centres to dispose of their unwanted tree, in light of the council declaring a climate emergency in 2019.
News OnTheWight has raised this point with the council on the reader’s behalf and will update once we hear back.
Addressing the carbon footprint
Tens of thousands of Christmas trees are sold every year, sitting in the windows of many households who celebrate the festive season and tradition of decorating their homes and sharing gifts with loved ones.
Real Christmas trees can take up to ten years to grow to the average height of two metres (six foot). As the tree is growing it will be absorbing carbon dioxide, which is beneficial for the environment.
However once it’s been cut, transporting trees generates carbon emissions.
What to do with the tree?
The Carbon Trust say that having your Christmas tree chipped to spread on the garden will significantly reduce the carbon footprint by up to 80 per cent.
Gardener’s World suggests stacking the chips at the back of a border for a few months to rot down, before using them to mulch around trees and shrubs.
We’re not sure how common having a garden chipper is, so you may need to employ the services of a tree surgeon (there’s plenty of choice on Google).
Gardener’s World also suggests standing the tree on a patio and waiting for the needles to fall off, then collecting them to use as a mulch for acid-loving plants, such as blueberries.
Burn or take to landfill?
The Carbon Trust says that burning the tree, such as on a bonfire, emits the carbon dioxide that it stored up when it was growing, so there is no net increase to emissions in the atmosphere.
From experience, burning does result in lots of spitting, as the trees are generally quite moist and contain resin.
However, trees sent to landfill will produce methane gas as they decompose. Methane is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide, creating a larger footprint.
Removal service
If you are subscribed to the council’s Garden Waste scheme (which runs from April-Mar each year), you can arrange for your tree to be collected free of charge.
In addition TDG Tree Services were offering a collection service (now fully subscribed) to collect trees in return for a donation to Isle of Wight foodbank.
If you have any other ideas of how to dispose of unwanted Christmas trees in an eco-friendly way, do let us know.
