Come to the switch on of our “green” Christmas tree

A Christmas tree made entirely of reused plastic bottles is returning to Chichester this year with residents and visitors being invited to a special switch-on event.

Created from 600 green bottles, the tree was designed by artist Tracey Graham to highlight plastic recycling in West Sussex.

The tree’s lights will be switched on by Mia from the West Sussex Waste Partnerships Mia Recycles campaign at a special launch event on Saturday 30 November.

This will take place outside Jack Wills on North Street from 4:30pm to 5:00pm.

Waste prevention Advisors will be on hand to answer questions and share advice about how you can enjoy a waste-free Christmas.

The event is also being hosted by Chichester District Council, Chichester BID and Jack Wills.

Steve Read, Acting Executive Director for Place Services, said: “With environmental concerns at the forefront of people’s minds this year, we hope this tree will remind everyone of the small changes they can make to help protect the environment during the Christmas period.

“Avoiding heavily packaged presents and food items, choosing reusable or recyclable wrapping techniques and not sending unnecessary or throwaway gifts are just some of the ways you can help.”

Over 5,000 tonnes of plastic bottles and almost 7,000 tonnes of plastic were recycled in West Sussex in 2018/19.

Avoiding plastic bottles is even more positive than recycling. Shoppers are also reminded that they can fill up their reusable water bottles in a number of shops, cafes, pubs and other venues in the city. These can be found by downloading the Refill app.

The tree will stay on North Street, Chichester until January.

This is the sixth year it has been on display in West Sussex and, having been very well received previously, this is its second year in Chichester.

If you want to know more about ways you can reduce your waste, go to our waste prevention website.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@WSRecycles). Share your pictures of the tree on social media using #Treecycled.

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