From: "John Reynolds" To: "Bar Hill Parish Council" ; "Bar Hill News" ; "Bar Hill website" ; "Binnie Harvey-Boxworth" ; "Dry Drayton News" ; "Dry Drayton Website" ; "Girton Parish Council" ; "Girton Parish News" ; "Girton Website" ; "Irish Nick-Dry Drayton" ; "Lolworth Parish Council" Subject: Christmas Tree shredding and Girton bag free Date: 31 December 2007 18:49 TAKING RECYCLING TO THE EX-TREEME Residents are being asked to get into ex-treeme recycling in the New Year by taking part in special Christmas tree shredding events across Cambridgeshire. The special events, which are designed to keep old Christmas trees ending up in landfill, are being held in Littleport, Huntingdon, Girton, Barrington and Peterborough. The 'X-treeme Recycling' days are being organised by the Cambridgeshire Community Reuse and Recycling Network (CCORRN) and Compost Connections, with support and sponsorship from RECAP - Recycle for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. Real Christmas trees are part of the seasonal biodegradable waste that can be recycled. When organic materials such as trees are landfilled, they decompose and generate methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Not only that but the Government taxes every tonne of waste that is put into landfill. The 'X-treeme Recycling days' will run from 11am to 3pm at the following venue: Saturday 12th January 2008 Girton Glebe School Cambridge Road, Girton, Cambridge CB3 0PN People can bring their Christmas trees to be shredded into chippings by machinery from the National Trust's, Anglesey Abbey property. Members of the public who bring their own bag will also be able to take their chippings home to use in their gardens. Any surplus chippings will be used by the local community. Master Composters will also be on hand to show how easy is to set up compost heaps and share tips on how to reduce waste and improve home-composting techniques. You can bring along unwanted presents, or items you no longer need, to donate to the Choose2Reuse Green Santa. Choose2Reuse collects unwanted items in good condition and distributes them for sale or reuse by charity and community groups, including furniture reuse schemes. You can also make a pledge to donate reusable goods to charities throughout the year. The X-treeme recycling days will also feature information about how to reduce waste with local organisations giving information and advice on wider sustainable issues, including energy efficiency. So for a day with a difference packed with information, fun, food and free goodies come along to the event nearest you. In addition, you can take your trees along to Cherry Hinton Hall car park and leave them by 20th Jan after which they will be collected by Cambridge City Council and composted for use around the city. If you can't make one of these events, you can still put your tree in with your green waste collection or take it to a Household Recycling Centre to be composted. Liz Hawkins, Cambridgeshire County Council's Waste Campaigns Officer said "I love having a real tree in the house over Christmas, and always ensure that it is composted in January. Real trees are more environmentally sound than fake ones, as they absorb carbon dioxide whilst growing, and don't use finite resources in their production. It's great that there are opportunities locally to get your tree shredded, this is often easier than trying to compost it at home." > Fact file: 1. Compost Connections is the new name for the Cambridgeshire Master Composters and the National Trusts Black Gold Project. The group is currently seeking charitable status and will develop the work done by the Master Composters. Volunteer Master Composters undergo two days of training to equip them with all the information they need about composting and the issues surrounding it. They then spend a set number of hours in their community promoting composting - including school visits, demonstrations to family and friends and writing articles for parish magazines. 2. The Girton Sustainable Project is a community initiative to promote sustainable practices amongst the residents to enhance the local environment and make it a better place to live in. The project has been granted funding from Girton Town Charity and Cambridgeshire Community Reuse and Recycling Network (CCORRN), and it is fully supported by Cambridgeshire County Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council. 3. CCORRN is an independent social enterprise that supports and promotes community reuse and recycling schemes throughout Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. Ccorrn.org.uk. 4. Choose2Reuse was created by CCORRN in 2004 and has been acknowledged for environmental best practice by winning a Green Apple Award. Choose2Reuse promotes donations of goods, purchasing and volunteering for charity shops and furniture reuse organisations. Choose2reuse.org.uk John Reynolds