The unique Christmas tree, made with hundreds of recyclable plastic bottles and standing six metres high was designed by artist, Ashley Phillips, creative director at Glartique, as part of the council’s 50% by 2020 recycling campaign.
This year the tree has been given a new look, with pink and purple bottles, which are the colours used for the Southall Big Plan project. The tree will be one of the main attractions at the upcoming Southall Christmas Market on Sunday, 7 December.
Councillor Julian Bell, leader of the council and cabinet member for regeneration said: “Southall will benefit from numerous improvements over the coming years, including the arrival of Crossrail, due in 2018. The creation of Southall Square has allowed for events such as the Southall Monthly Market to take place and acts as the perfect location for the Christmas tree this year. These events help to bring the community and businesses together while celebrating and utilising the work that has already been done in the area.”
Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, cabinet member for environment and transport said: “Following the successful campaign last year, we wanted to reinvigorate the conversation about recycling. While we have made progress in increasing recycling rates, we still have some way to go to meet the 50% target. We all have a responsibility to ensure we meet this target by recycling as much as we can."
“More waste is produced over the festive period than at any other time of year. The amount we send to landfill during this period rises by 20 per cent, costing us hundreds of thousands of pounds. If we don’t do more to recycle, and recycle correctly, we all lose out. There is plenty of information available so I urge any resident who is unsure about the recycling services available to them to visit www.recyclemystuff.org.uk or www.ealing.gov.uk/recycling "
The tree has been constructed by plastic bottles recycled by Villiers High School, Southall, and will be in place on Southall Square, on the High Street (opposite the police station) from 23 November 2014 until 4 January 2015.
