GEORGE TOWN, Grand Cayman (GIS) -- Christmas trees can be recycled and turned into mulch after the festive season to save them from going into the landfill.
The trees, which must be real rather than artificial, can be dropped off at containers in each community from 1 to 20 January before being mulched on Saturday, 21 January at George Town cricket field.
Members of the public are welcome to watch the trees being mulched by the industrial wood grinding machine, known as the “Beast”, which was recently purchased by the Department of Environmental Health (DEH).
The mulch is available free of charge to anyone who brings their shovel or rake and bags to collect it from the field, and is ideal for spreading around garden plants to enrich and insulate the soil. The processing begins at 7 a.m., with the mulch given away on a first-come first-served basis.
Containers to collect discarded Christmas trees will be placed at Ed Bush Stadium in West Bay, George Town cricket field, Spotts dock and the southern entrance to Frank Sound Road.
The mulching project is part of an enhanced recycling initiative to divert waste from going into the landfill. Recycling is also central to the proposed Integrated Solid Waste Management System (ISWMS), which is currently in the first stage of the procurement phase, with government aiming to have a contract in place, in principle, by spring 2017.
Last year, more than 1,800 Christmas trees were processed by the “Beast”, resulting in around two-and-a-half dump-truck loads of mulch, which was also given away at no cost.
“This process of recycling the trees is a great way to save space at the landfill and is ideal material for people to spread in their gardens and yards at no cost other than coming to collect it,” said DEH’s Recycling Foreman of Solid Waste Angello Roye.
For further information about the Christmas tree recycling programme, contact DEH’s Solid Waste unit at 949-8793.