A charity has launched its Christmas tree recycling scheme.

Sue Ryder is encouraging West Berkshire residents to recycle their real Christmas trees this year as part of its 'tree-mendous' Christmas Treecycling initiative.

This national healthcare and bereavement charity hopes to reduce landfill by collecting and recycling Christmas trees.

The trees are 100 per cent recyclable, and can be transformed into compost, wood chippings, or biofuel, all of which can be used in parks and woodlands.

This not only supports Sue Ryder but also benefits the environment.

Residents in the OX10, RG1, RG2, RG4, RG5, RG6, RG7, RG8, RG9, RG10, RG30, RG31, RG40, and RG41 postcodes can register for the scheme, which involves volunteers collecting trees from front doors, gardens, or driveways.

The collection will be carried out between January 7 and January 10, 2025.

(Image: Sue Ryder)

Last year, Sue Ryder provided palliative care to thousands of families across the country, including those supported by the Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice in Reading and the Sue Ryder Palliative Care Hub South Oxfordshire.

The charity also offers a range of bereavement support, including an online community forum, free bereavement counselling service, personalised text support, and Grief Kind spaces in Reading, Finchampstead, and Thatcham.

Sue Soffe, senior community fundraiser at Sue Ryder, highlighted the impact of the Christmas Treecycling scheme.

Ms Soffe said: "Last year our Christmas Treecycling service across the UK kept 7,199 trees out of landfill, helping to reduce the impact on the environment.

"The initiative also raised over £119,000 for Sue Ryder – enough to fund over 4,000 hours of expert and compassionate palliative care from our nurses, so that fewer patients need face death alone.

"By choosing to recycle your real tree with an optional donation to Sue Ryder, your Christmas tree could become the gift of expert care and support for seriously ill people and their loved ones.

"We’re encouraging West Berkshire residents to this year make the tree-mendous choice of an optional donation when you register for our Sue Ryder Christmas Treecycling service this year, so that no one need die or grieve alone."

The initiative, supported by Rabbits Vehicle Hire, has limited collection capacity, so residents are encouraged to book early to ensure their trees are collected.

To participate, residents need to secure their collection by midnight on January 1, 2025.

The charity has requested that participants make an optional donation when registering, to further support their cause.