Forum Topic

Ealing Christmas Tree

The idea is brilliant. This will create awareness & a tiny fraction of less recycling will pay itself. But there is better: we must aim at reducing rather than recycling. Use re-usable bags or bottles or whatever. Thanks

Kiran Dookna ● 4435d28 Comments

The bottles came from Christ the Saviour school where they had been used, so, in effect, they were recycled.Still doesn't excuse spending £13,000 though. Profligate waste.

Nigel Brooks ● 4410d

Obviously CNN never went to Brussels they have quite a few plastic bottle Christmas trees. I also don’t believe the bottles are recycled on Ealings tree as I think it would be quite difficult to find 900 used bottles in good condition and all the same size and shape.

Tony Maxey ● 4410d

Nigel,The tree is merely a symbol of their profligacy.  Don't forget:£1 million given to the unions for facility time£2.5 million for an empty car park in Southall£10 million for new council offices£2.5 million for the Town Hall refurb and paving workShall I go on?They talk about cuts but apparently there is cash for the things that they think are important.  One of the huge cuts they don't mention is taking £8 million or 31% out of road spending.  So Labour want the Town Hall to look nice but your road, not so much.

Phil Taylor ● 4411d

Let us all hope Gerry that the profligate madness of spending £13,000 on some plastic bottles is remembered at the ballot box in May!

Nigel Brooks ● 4411d

After all the public debate about the Christmas Tree outside the Town Hall, I'll be a touch sad and shall miss the tree(waste bottles) a bit - I seem to have accepted the night scene there.

Gerry Tan ● 4412d

Thank goodness the so called Christmas Tree will be removed tomorrow 5 January. They might like it in the USA according to this forum but I think it should qualify as the ugliest "tree" ever let's hope we won't see it back again!There are many ways to urge people to recycle but this isn't one of them!

Jean F Fernandez ● 4412d

OUR money is spent paying landfill charges which have to be paid on all the recycling which is sent there which shouldn't be because some people are too lazy to find out what they can recycle and get off their butts.  There is lots of info in the new Around Ealing which if you haven't received through the door is available to read online:http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/07f4e029#/07f4e029/1 A great deal of the money that paid for the recycled tree came from grants - which would have been made specifically for that purpose.  There is quite a bit about this on the Council website.If you don't want your money spent like this then I suggest that you recycle as much as you can and encourage those around you to do the same.  Often there is a problem with people new moving in as they often are not given the information or bags and boxes they need. Landlords and Agents should take more responsibility here.

Philippa Bond ● 4425d

Saw this rubbish tree this morning, absolute pants.  I will spare you the comments of my partner.  OUR money was spent on this, its a disgrace.  Is that a love heart on the top?

Christine Daniels ● 4426d

I hope it came with a special box to put all the bits in because otherwise I can see some of those bits going missing.  I have a horror of things like tents and jigsaw puzzles where each and every bit is so important...

Philippa Bond ● 4428d

http://www.ealing.gov.uk/site/scripts/home_info.php?homepageID=39There is a video on here.

Philippa Bond ● 4428d

It is not stated that the 900 bottles are re-cycled bottles, is this 900 new plastic bottles?

Fred Hunt ● 4428d

http://www.ealing.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/7401/around_ealing_december2013-january2014

Philippa Bond ● 4428d

http://www.homejelly.com/upcycled-plastic-bottles-green-funktional/Plastic bottles are a resource just as is nearly all of what we in the past called rubbish.We now have facilities in the UK to turn plastic milk bottles into...  plastic milk bottles.  http://www.bottle2bottle.com/index.aspNot as good as reusing the glass bottles ten times that the milkman delivers sadly but better than throwing them away.

Philippa Bond ● 4429d

Don't give them ideas Tony! :-)

Nigel Brooks ● 4429d

Perhaps we could collect green bottles so that the tree can be green during the daytime next year?And perhaps we could make some tinsel from old newspapers and decorations from McDonalds chip boxes just to keep in the festive spirit.

Tony Maxey ● 4429d

I'd like to think that they will hire it out to the other five boroughs that are part of the WLWA or anyone in fact who will pay so that it generates some funds if we aren't to use it again.  If the money that was used to pay from it came from specific grants then that money won't have been available to be used for anything that we might choose.  I understand we can expect some sort of rewards for recycling scheme to follow our tree.  Perhaps that is why there is so little interest in reducing our waste.  Instead of just attempting to inform residents it would be a good idea if they also spent grant money on informing Council employees of the systems in place in the Borough.  Perhaps we could collect green bottles so that the tree can be green during the daytime next year?

Philippa Bond ● 4429d

Good point Gerry I wonder what the cost will be for dismantling, storage and re-assembling next year. I bet it will cost a bit more than the £1200 that was mentioned for the previous tree. Seems to defeat the point of recycling saves money.

Tony Maxey ● 4431d

What will Ealing Council do with the tree when its dismantled after Christmas?

Gerry Tan ● 4431d

Perhaps it has been designed so that it can be dismantled.

Philippa Bond ● 4431d

Its not the bottles that annoy me, it's the metal framework that had to be built to hold the thing. Ever heard of Glue !! WASTE WASTE WASTE

Surrinder Sangha ● 4433d

They could and should have used this:http://england.lovefoodhatewaste.com/content/countdown-christmas-our-advent-calendar

Philippa Bond ● 4434d

"Head down to Ealing Town Hall to visit our special Christmas tree throughout December. It’s made from 900 plastic bottles, the same amount that is used in the UK every 2 seconds!"And how much more recycling education and awareness could have been financed rather than wasting THIRTEEN THOUSAND POUNDS on this monstrosity?

Nigel Brooks ● 4434d

Kiran is absolutely right.  We should have moved on from recycling by now we should be concentrating on reducing and reusing.I'm disappointed by the message below from LBE regarding leftovers.  We should NOT be making that food waste.  We should be eating our leftovers.  In fact I think that very many people do.  We should NOT be in the position of having to put good food in the food waste bin.  We should be trying to make a bit of space in the freezer now so there will be some room to put some of those leftovers.  I think that the guidelines for the size of turkey needed is if you only eat turkey!  We like to eat so many things with our turkey - two different stuffings, sprouts and chestnuts, little sausages, prunes with bacon, roast potatoes, gratin potatoes, roast parsnips and carrots, bread sauce, peas for the sprout haters, brocolli.It is traditional to have it cold the next day perhaps with ham as well and with fried potatoes.The turkey is stripped after the hot lunch and when cold some can be put in the freezer.  The carcase can go in the slow cooker for stock.  It is the easiest way to make it.  Then that can be frozen for soup or other dishes later.If you are wasting food like that then I think you should think about who else you could have shared your Christmas meal with.For just over a £20 donation to Crisis at Christmas you could pay for a Christmas meal for someone and a lot more  help and advice to get back on their feet."Recycling and Christmas Over the festive period we consume and purchase more and as a result the amount of waste sent to landfill by the borough rises by 20%, costing £1million.There are lots of things you can do to recycle more and reduce the amount of rubbish you are putting in your black sack over this season. From recycling your Christmas cards to using your food waste bin to recycle the fridge full of leftovers, every little bit helps.Take 2 seconds to recycleHead down to Ealing Town Hall to visit our special Christmas tree throughout December. It’s made from 900 plastic bottles, the same amount that is used in the UK every 2 seconds!Not only can all of that plastic be recycled, it’s actually a valuable resource, turned into fleece jumpers, park benches, playground equipment, sleeping bags, and even loft installation.This Christmas please take 2 seconds to recycle."

Philippa Bond ● 4434d

Does the grab a grant system operate in social services?

Philippa Bond ● 4435d

Yes what a waste of a perfectly good thread. It should be cleaned and put in the correct bag.

Tony Maxey ● 4435d

I believe this is actually called "upcycling".

Philippa Bond ● 4435d

Maybe some affiliation with the council but totally out of touch with reality.No one can possibly justify £13,000 of public money when budgets for the most vulnerable are being cut. Utter profligate lunacy.

Nigel Brooks ● 4435d

Kiran you must have some affiliation with the council otherwise you would have noticed a thread with the same title.

Tony Maxey ● 4435d