Forum Topic

What happens to old Xmas trees?

Given the council have reneged on their green waste collection terms, can we expect the many trees I saw today on the way to Ealing Broadway station to remain on the pavements? Before they would have been picked up along with the green waste bags/bins once a fortnight. With the lorries for green waste in the depot (or leased out to other councils), where would the trees go, to landfill?

peter king ● 144d17 Comments

Many people take their trees to the nearest collection point as listed on the Council website.  You can do this at your leisure and the ceremonial walk with the children to the park after Christmas with the tree can be as important a lesson in responsibility as exciting as the one of walking the newly chosen one home.  You can smell the piles of trees before you reach them and they definitely shred the ones in the park there and you can see (and smell) them as you walk along the paths later.

Philippa Bond ● 136d

I was out and about in both Chiswick and Ealing today and would suggest that the Christmas tree mountain is growing, certainly in Ealing. Chiswick has no excuse as I don't think the council in Hounslow has cut their green waste collection from 12 months to 9 like Ealing has to it's detriment.

peter king ● 137d

Ooh, nasty Paul. The only 12 year olds here are the simple minded who think cycling is the answer to everything.Far better to improve public transport than waste millions on barely used cycling infrastructure. Not many about today between Ealing and down through Isleworth and Twickenham to Kingston, either first thing this morning or this afternoon. Too cold for most.

Simon Hayes ● 141d

>You aren't Phillipa in disguise are you?Why would you even write that, are you 12 or something?

Paul James ● 141d

You aren't Phillipa in disguise are you?

peter king ● 141d

>Not sure if they have a delayed Thursday collectionTree are not supposed to be left on the pavement by residents regardless.

Paul James ● 141d

Went that way again today, trees still in the same places. Not sure if they have a delayed Thursday collection

peter king ● 142d

No I am not,you are doing your normal deliberate misinterpretation again Paul. I am suggesting that had you've been driving down Boston Road on Tuesday morning you would have seen any number of Christmas trees  outside properties where they had been placed by Council operatives prior to collection. Now just go back to fantasising about being chased by skip lorries. Silly little man

N V Brooks ● 142d

You're suggesting all the trees left on the pavement seen by Peter were in fact in the process of being transferred to a GEL truck after a pre run?

Paul James ● 142d

They whould be left within the curtilege of your property next to your black bin. However, if, like me, you have a bin 'pre run' where the council guy move the black bins to kerdside to make collection easier they will also move the trees to kerbside as well, as the did on Boston Road this week.

N V Brooks ● 143d

>Who's blaming the council?"can we expect the many trees I saw today on the way to Ealing Broadway station to remain on the pavements"The trees shouldn't be left on pavements.

Paul James ● 143d

Nothing but praise, not nothing but is damn this spell checker and thick fingers

N V Brooks ● 143d

It seems that Paul knows as much about Christmas tree recycling as he does about traffic management and I followed the recycling advice Christmas trees need to be left to decompose for a few weeks as this helps to3 neutralize the acid in the needles. They can then be used as a general purpose mulch.I too have nothing but is for the refuse and recycling chaps who turn up on time without fail week in and week out

N V Brooks ● 143d

I left my tree out with the black waste bin as instructed on the Web site.I thought it strange that then the tree would go in the waste wagon. The tree was left and two hours later was picked up by a separate wagon, so I assume it is going for recycling but obviously no means of proving this definitively unless I was to visit the final destination of the tree.I will add that throughout the year the waste and recycling collection is carried out in a very efficient manner.

David Burke ● 143d

I was told that the trees go to be composted and are then used as a mulch in the parks. Whether that ever happens is anyone’s guess.As for fly tipping? Well, the council wants the trees recycled and plenty of properties lack big enough front gardens to stash them. The Greener Ealing teams are still operating in the borough, chopping back anything and everything they can find on council owned land. They don’t seem too keen to collect the bagged up leaves left by residents, but perhaps they will collect those when they take the trees.Seems that Paul has started the new year in the same vein he finished the last one. Did Santa not bring any common sense for him at Christmas?

Simon Hayes ● 143d

Who's blaming the council? I was merely asking if the trees will be recycled or sent to landfill, an easy question I'd suggest chum

peter king ● 143d

That's flytipping.Trees are supposed to be left on the edge of your property for collection, or people in flats need to take them to a collection point.But you could always blame the council for no reason.https://www.ealing.gov.uk/info/201167/rubbish_and_recycling/1652/

Paul James ● 143d