Written question asked by Baroness Teather (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 9 January 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 14 January 2008. It was answered by Joan Ruddock (Labour) on Monday, 21 January 2008 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Recycling: Christmas

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of local authorities providing recycling services for (a) Christmas trees and (b) Christmas cards.

Answer: I have been asked to reply.Christmas trees are recycled through a number of routes. Both local authorities and businesses offer facilities where individuals can deposit their Christmas trees. Many local authorities offer either specific collection points or operate a green waste collection following Christmas and collect trees through this route, but my Department does not hold details of the exact number doing so.205 local authorities in England collect cards at the kerbside as part of their dry recycling collection scheme. The Woodland Trust also promotes a dedicated Christmas cards collection scheme in association with WHSmith, Tesco, TK Maxx and Marks and Spencer. Last year, 93 million cards were collected through the Woodland Trust scheme, saving 2,400 tonnes of CO2. This is equivalent to taking over 700 cars off the road for a year.

Secondary information