You can drop your Christmas tree off at the zoo all week
If you’re at a loss about what to do with your Christmas tree, you can donate it to Belfast Zoo to help give enrichment to the animals there.
The Treecycling scheme lets people drop off their Christmas trees for free, and they will then be recycled for animals to use for everything from scent play, to shelter and food foraging. Animals that love using the trees include meerkats, elephants, and Barbary lions.
Any excess trees not used by the animals will be recycled into chippings, which will be used in enclosures and flower beds. The zoo is currently closed, but donations are still able to be made this week, until Sunday, January 11.
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A Belfast Zoo spokesperson said: “The donation drop-off point is still accessible in the bottom car park and will be clearly signposted. Please take extra care when coming up the Zoo hill due to the snow and ice.
“It is free to leave your tree for recycling. The treecycle drop-off point will be clearly signposted and located at the bottom car park.
“Christmas tree donations are only open to individuals. We will not accept commercial donations.”
Explaining how the initative works, they added: “We’ll use the donated trees for animal enrichment, ranging from scent play to shelter and food foraging.
“Christmas trees are extremely tactile, have a strong scent, and have a range of different uses for enrichment depending on the animal. The meerkats love exploring and climbing through the branches, while the Barbary lions enjoy the strong pine scent.
“Any excess Christmas trees that aren’t used by the animals will be recycled into chippings. We will use these tree chippings in zoo enclosures and as mulch for flower beds.
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