Environment chief sees Christmas trees recycled into compost  (posted 14/01/2008)

Thousands of Christmas trees are being turned into top quality garden compost by a Dorset company.

Up to 6,000 trees collected from households by Bournemouth Borough Council are being recycled at Eco Sustainable Solutions in Parley.

The trees are fed into a giant shredder before joining other garden waste to undergo the lengthy natural composting process which lasts approximately three months.

After screening and grading the resultant compost is bagged up and sold back to members of the public, garden centres and other customers.

Cllr Robert Lawton, Bournemouth Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Transport and the Environment, saw the process for himself when he visited Eco’s 14-acre site.

“This is the second year we’ve recycled Christmas trees in the borough and we’re delighted at the way it is going. It makes great sense,” Cllr Lawton said.

Andy Hill, Eco’s Sales and Marketing Director, said the company was expecting to handle up to 20 tonnes of Christmas trees.

“There really is no greener way of disposing of Christmas trees, returning goodness and nutrients back into the soil. It’s a ‘win-win’ for everyone,” he added.

ENDS

Picture caption: Green solution: Cllr Robert Lawton (left) and Eco’s Andy Hill take a closer look at the compost which will be produced from thousands of Christmas trees.

Editor’s Note: Founded in 1994, Eco Sustainable Solutions is one of the UK’s leading organics recycling firms, annually processing 120,000 tonnes of material on its 14-acre site at Parley, Dorset. End products include turf, enriched topsoil, compost and woodchip.

For more information please contact: Andy Hill, Sales and Marketing Director, Eco Sustainable Solutions, on 01202 593601 or Andrew Diprose, PR Account Director, Deep South Media on 01202 534487.