Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice is taking the hassle out of recycling your Christmas tree this New Year – by offering to pick it up from your doorstep.
The Hospice’s ‘Treecycling’ campaign will see volunteers collect thousands of used Christmas trees from across the city, in return for a donation to the charity.
Using a fleet of vans and generous volunteers, the local Hospice will be picking up real trees from a range of postcodes across Birmingham and Solihull, which will then be recycled into compost and biomass fuel.
The initiative – which takes place on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 January – is the biggest of its kind in Birmingham, with an estimated 3,500 trees being collected over the weekend. It is now in its eighth year and has so far raised an impressive £134k for the charity.
Sue McNally, who has volunteered for Treecycling for three years, said: “I always have so much fun when volunteering for Treecycling. There’s a real team spirit and I love it when everyone comes together before the collection to hear their morning briefing and tuck into breakfast sandwiches.
“Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice cared for my Mum and Dad, so it holds a special place in my heart. I feel really proud to volunteer for the Treecycling initiative – not only is it a useful service to people who want to recycle their Christmas tree but all donations made will help more families, just like mine, to receive expert care and support at a time when they need it most.”
All funds raised from Treecycling will go towards Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice, which provides vital care to local people and their families who are living with life-limiting illness.
Charlotte Dowling, community fundraising manager at the Hospice, said: “We know that getting rid of your tree can feel like a post-Christmas chore, which is why our brilliant team of volunteers will pick it up from your doorstep. It makes recycling your tree really simple – saving you time and hassle from taking it to the tip instead.
“Not only is Treecyling a fantastic way for you to be green this New Year but it’s also an opportunity to support a great local charity. All of our services – whether they are provided in people’s homes, in the local community or at the Hospice – are completely free of charge and so we really do rely on the generosity of local people to help us continue to provide our vital care to everyone who needs it.”
Treecycling has a number of corporate partners supporting the initiative, including civil engineering firm Fitzgerald Contractors and construction, development and property services company, Wates.
The recycling scheme is part of the Hospice’s ‘Care at Christmas’ campaign – a festive appeal which aims to boost support for the charity leading up to and over the Christmas period. It will cost £22,000 to run the Hospice on Christmas Day so every penny raised will enable vital care, compassion and comfort to be available to more people and their loved ones, whenever and wherever they need it.
The postcodes that Treecycling will be collecting from, are: B13, B14, B15, B17, B25, B26, B27, B28, B29, B30, B31, B32, B38, B45, B47, B90, B91, B92, B93 & B94. To book your collection, head here.
