The Department of the Environment is once again organising a recycling drive for real Christmas trees.

The species that are usually used for Christmas trees will not survive in Gibraltar’s climate, even if they are rooted. Recycling trees by turning them into mulch for use in other planted areas around Gibraltar helps to protect soils and reduces the amount of waste that has to be sent to landfill.

The public is encouraged to recycle any real Christmas trees by removing all decorations and depositing them at the Civic Amenities Site on Europa Advance Road. The facility is open 7 days a week from 8am – 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 5pm at weekends.

The Department would also like to take this opportunity to remind anyone with an artificial tree that with proper care and storage, these can last for a considerable time and according to Greenpeace should be kept for at least 8 years (but preferably more) to keep lifetime emissions low. Proper storage is critical so consider investing in a storage bag and keeping it somewhere where it won’t be affected by major temperature or humidity changes throughout the year that can lead to mould or mildew.

For any further information please contact the department on 20044103 or e-mail info.environment@gibraltar.gov.gi .