Christmas tree shredding service raises £200

ABOUT 60 Christmas trees were shredded and recycled at Mill Meadows in Henley on Saturday.

Karl Bishop and Clive Gibbs, of the town council’s parks services team, shredded the trees using an Ecogreen composter, which uses an Archimedes drill to turn the branches into mulch.

Residents paid £2 each to have a tree shredded or £5 to have it collected from home. Most brought their trees by car but some dragged theirs by hand — pine needles could be seen strewn along Meadow Road. Mr Gibbs said that the mulch usually lasts the department a full year. He said: “We re-use all of it, so none of it goes to waste.

“We store it so it can ‘calm down’ because at the moment it’s too rich and it can’t go around the plants because it will be too much for it. We also use it on paths and through wooded areas.

“Mulch is a weed suppressant and it will also hold in the moisture. It’s good for the ground, it’s good for the trees, so this machine is really worth its weight in gold.

“It’s a really good way of getting rid of the the trees when people are done with them as then we can use it on our areas.”

He added: “It’s a lovely day, people are lovely in Henley anyway and they come out and it’s really nice, I enjoy it.”

The service raised about £200, which will go towards Henley in Bloom.