The municipal waste collection company, SAKO Brno, is currently collecting a large number of Christmas trees, the first of which began appearing on the streets of Brno right after Christmas Eve. The company is expecting the biggest volume of trees from next week until the end of the month. The last trees are usually disposed of after the end of the spring holidays. In response, SAKO Brno is appealing for residents to keep in mind the best way to recycle their unwanted trees… and what not to do.
In Brno, there are two correct ways to dispose of a Christmas tree. “The ideal is to take a carefully stripped tree, stripped of all decorations, to any waste collection center, where they will take it from you free of charge,” said Pavel Urubek, chair of the board of directors of SAKO Brno. These trees will be turned into wood chips in a composting plant.
Another option is to place smaller trees next to the black bin on the eve of collection. Even in this case, it is necessary to thoroughly remove all decorations from the tree, especially hooks, so they don’t injure anyone. Brno waste collectors will then take the tree to the incinerators as part of the standard waste collection, where the trees will contribute to the production of heat and electricity for Brno. Tree trunks with a diameter of over five centimeters must be chopped into pieces approximately one-metre long before being placed next to the bins, as the machines inside collection trucks are not designed to process thick trunks, and could be damaged.
Residents are requested not to leave old Christmas trees on the sidewalk, in the park, or in other public areas, and should not return them to the forest or other natural settings due to the possibility of injury to animals from a forgotten hook. For capacity reasons, it is also not recommended to put trees inside waste containers – they always belong next to them.
“It is also a common nuisance in Brno to place a tree next to containers for sorted waste, underground containers, or biowaste bins,” explained Urubek. “Vehicles transporting sorted waste and vehicles servicing underground containers take waste to the sorting line area, not to the incinerators, and garbage collectors tend to get confused while working.”
How to dispose of Christmas decorations with dignity:
1. Carefully remove all decorations from the tree (watch out for the hooks! They could injure someone)
2. Take the tree to a waste collection center (it will end up in the composting plant as wood chips). Alternatively, place it next to the black bin on the eve of collection (it will end up as fuel).
3. Broken Christmas decorations belong in a black container, paper chains in a blue container, and greased, waxed or foil-coated paper also belongs in the black container, as it cannot be recycled.
4. Non-functioning Christmas lights, artificial trees, and dead batteries should be taken to a waste collection centre.
