How to recycle your real Christmas Tree

Just in time for this Saturday 4 December which marks ‘Bring your Christmas Tree Home Day’ the popular garden centre has launched a new range of real Christmas trees for every space at its Braehead store. This means that whatever your budget or style there is something for your home.

Picking out a real Christmas tree is a favourite tradition for many families, but once the festivities are over and the lights are taking down, getting rid of your Christmas tree can be quite the chore.

This year there has been a shift in focus on how to live as sustainably as possible, and Dobbies wants to encourage the people of Glasgow to think sustainably about what they do with their tree after the festivities.

We have exclusive access to their step-by-step guide on how to reuse your Christmas centrepiece as part of their #SustainableDobbies campaign, including tips on how you can re-purpose your tree to help the wildlife and insects in your area during the winter months.

Dobbies’ Horticultural Director, Marcus Eyles said:

“we want to encourage people in Glasgow to be mindful of how they can recycle their cut real trees once the festivities are over.“

“Cut real Christmas trees can be a great tool when it comes to creating a safe place for wildlife to shelter during the winter months, so we’re delighted to show people how they can make use of their trees once the Christmas decorations have come down.“

Dobbies is encouraging the children who attend its Little Seedlings Club to take the lead in creating wildlife shelters. Ethan Firth, Dobbies’ Little Seedling Ambassador, adds:

“Christmas is a time to create fond memories and what better way than to keep a memory of Christmas whilst considering the environment and being sustainable all at the same time!”

Marcus Eyles has created a step-by-step guide on how people can reuse their Christmas trees this year:

1. Remove the tree from your house carefully to stop any loose needles from dropping. Marcus recommends wearing thick gloves to protect your hands.

2. Using a good quality pair of secateurs, starting from the top remove each branch as close as possible to the main stem.

3. Stack the branches together four or five pieces high and place onto soil or leaves under large shrubs, trees or hedges.

4. Repeat this process until all the branches are used. This will provide a great shelter for small animals and insects to protect them from the worst of the winter weather. Marcus points out that the needles and branches will breakdown over time to produce organic matter than will enrich the soil.

5. Cut the main trunk of the tree into 30cm lengths, which can then be stacked to make a mini log pile which is a great habitat for wildlife to shelter in.

Let us know if you recycle your Christmas tree once the festivities are over!