Christmas Tree Collection

What do you do with your Christmas tree after the festivities have finished? For those who have bought a farm-grown tree, do you leave the tree outside for a couple of months or squeeze it into a green wheelie bin, which Dacorum Council will only collect at the end of February?

Thers is another way, a service which would remove your tree from outside your door on 5th January 2025. It’s environmentally friendly, avoids getting pine needles in your car, and raises funds for the local Scout groups all at the same time.

Dacorum’s waste services team is setting up a shredding machine, in Water Lane Car Park, Berkhamsted for one day only: Sunday 5th January 2025. The pine Christmas trees are chipped, and these natural chippings are then used to keep council flower beds weed-free across the borough.

Helping to recycle these trees are the various Scout Groups from Berkhamsted and the surrounding area, co-ordinated by the 1st Berkhamsted Scout Group. 1st Berkhamsted Group has organised this tree-collection service for over 16 years, where Christmas trees are picked up from people’s houses and taken to the shredding site. This year 5 other local Scout Groups are also helping: 1st Gossoms End, 1st Northchurch, 1st Potten End, 1stLittle Gaddesden and VVV Explorer Group.

Says Paul Chambers, 1st Berkhamsted Scout Leader. “We save people time by taking their tree for them in our large vans, which cuts the number of individual cars trips to the shredder. We ask for a donation per tree collected, and these funds go straight to supporting our Scout groups.”

Since launching the service, the local Scouts have helped to transport more than 15,000 Christmas trees for shredding. The charity suggests a minimum voluntary contribution of per tree collected. The collection service involves over 80 volunteers and includes Scouts of all ages. Local businesses provide support and sponsorship to cover the direct costs of running the service.

The funds raised go towards equipment and activities for the children, maintenance of the Scout Huts, and financial support for trips and expeditions for the various local Scout groups.

‘It is a significant group effort with many volunteers and local businesses providing support, but we are proud of the community service we provide’, says Jenny Jenkins, Chair of the 1st Berkhamsted Group.

Tree collections can be booked and paid for in advance at www.1stberkhamsted.org.uk/trees. The deadline for online bookings is midnight, 3rd January. Alternatively, between 8am-2pm on Saturday 4th January, customers can buy a pre-paid collection tag (cash or card accepted) at the Scout Christmas tree stall on Berkhamsted High Street.