Christmas is officially over and many of us with real trees will be thinking about how to get rid of them.
However, one Lancashire farm has come up with a creative and adorable solution that doesn’t require waste or length trips to the tip.
Owners at Lowlands Farm on Peel Road in Blackpool feed any unwanted Christmas trees to their 42 alpacas -and they will be accepting donations this weekend.
As well as being a great way to recycle old trees, it’s great fun to watch the alpacas tuck into the pine needles, which are actually good for their health.
Charlotte Traynor, owner of Lowlands Farm, said: “People love it – they get to come and see the alpacas and it’s also a great way of recycling trees.”
Charlotte said she started feeding her alpacas the trees after reading an article about a breeder down south who did it.
She said “In 2020, we popped a post on our Facebook page asking for tree donations and were totally inundated with Christmas trees.
“The alpacas loved it and happily munched away on the pine needles”.
Ms Traynor added: “It’s just an added food source and is not their main one and it just makes their diet a little more interesting.
“The trees are also a good source of vitamin C and antioxidants.”
Farmers have to check that the trees are free from decorations and use a water spray to check if they have been chemically treated or not.
Charlotte Traynor said: “We find that alpacas don’t tend to eat them if they have been treated anyway – they are very clever.”
The alpacas mainly strip the branches of pine needles, but workers at the farm ensure nothing goes to waste.
Ms Traynor said: “We use some of the stems and bare branches for our fences and hedgerows.
“It helps vegetation to grow in the summer months so they’re also a really good filler.
“If we have too many to cope with, we take them to a recycling center where they are made into woodchips.”
If you have a real tree to dispose of, Lowlands farm will be accepting Christmas tree donations this weekend, 10am-4pm Saturday and Sunday.
Ms Traynor said: “People can pop down, see the alpacas and other animals and we can take the Christmas Trees off them.”
Find out more about the alpacas the experience on offer at Lowlands Farm by visiting their website.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here