The local government association for Greater London is encouraging residents to recycle, rent or replant their Christmas trees over the festive period.
London councils said that Christmas trees often get fly tipped throughout the winter months, and because of this, many local authorities are offering drop-off sites in car parks and green areas where Christmas trees can be recycled into mulch or compost.
In a statement the councils outlined the damages inflicted on the environment by Christmas trees that ended up in landfill, explaining that, "a two-metre-tall tree with no roots has a 16 kg carbon dioxide equivalent footprint if it ends up in landfill". Reusing a tree by planting it in a pot, or in the ground in the garden for next year, or recycling it by turning it into chips, can help to reduce the carbon footprint it creates by up to 80%.
Renting a live tree in a pot is an option that the London councils wish to promote. These rented trees can be delivered to the door to be watered, decorated, and then returned after Christmas, to be kept alive for another year. This keeps the trees away from landfill, or just rotting on the streets of residential areas.
Another option is to "adopt a Christmas tree", by buying a seedling, planting it in the garden, and decorating it as each year passes.
The Chair of London councils' transport and environment committee Councillor, Julian Bell, commented: "Celebrating Christmas or New Year with family and friends doesn't mean we need to sacrifice our commitments to living sustainably. If anything, we can make our communities greener with thoughtful choices and plans to reuse and recycle seasonal waste as much as we can, including our Christmas trees."
