Tychy gives away Christmas trees in exchange for used batteries

The Polish city takes part in the European Waste Reduction Week

This December, Tychy (Poland) will distribute 500 living Christmas trees to its residents in exchange for used batteries. The initiative is part of an educational campaign against the excessive generation of waste, part of the wider initiative European Waste Reduction Week. Its slogan perfectly summarizes the nature of the action: “A Christmas tree with positive energy”.

Teaching the 3 R principle in Tychy

Tychy has prepared 500 vouchers for free Christmas trees from the local Kulka garden centre. To get a free tree, one needs to provide at least 0.5 kilograms or 15 old batteries used in household appliances and bring them to the seat of the Municipal Waste Management Department of the Municipal office.

The action is limited within the period of 1 to 24 December, and vouchers will be distributed on a first-come-first-served basis, up to 1 per household. When collecting the voucher, the resident will also receive information on the correct way to dispose of used batteries, as they should never be thrown away with general household waste.

With this action, Tychy aligns to the national 3 R week (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) held on between 22 and 28 November – a nationwide campaign organized as part of the European Waste Reduction Week, aimed at improving waste prevention in Europe.

The three Rs stand for REDUCE - reducing waste generation, REUSE – reusing and repurposing old items instead of throwing them away, and RECYCLE – when it is impossible to extend the life of an item, ensuring it is tackled properly, so it can be turned into something new thereby limiting the need for more raw materials. As part of this week, local governments, institutions, representatives of business, the non-governmental sector, and all consumers are encouraged to joint efforts and take initiatives to raise the environmental awareness of the importance of the 3R principles in everyday life.

The 3 R campaign in Poland is under the honorary patronage of the European Commission, the Association of Polish Cities and the Association of Rural Communes of the Republic of Poland.