There are hardly any real Christmas trees left in the municipality of Westerveld. These were all collected today by volunteers from various associations. In this way they can supplement their coffers, because they receive one euro for each pine tree handed in to the municipality.
The parent council of OBS Oosterveldschool in Uffelte is already on the road this morning before the sun rises. They took a smart approach there by creating gathering places in the village. People could also bring their Christmas tree to the school. That immediately produces about fifteen trees. Parents drive their children to the collection points in cars and carts to load the rest.
“This goes into the general fund,” explains Leo Timmerman of the parent council. “We use that to pay for school trips, for example. We of course have the voluntary parental contribution, which pays for everything, but we want to keep it as low as possible. The contribution is difficult for more and more parents to afford. And every little bit helps. “
They are indeed small amounts. The association receives one euro per tree. In Uffelte they expect to collect between one hundred and one hundred and fifty Christmas trees. “It doesn’t seem like much, but every euro has been taken into account. And it provides more than just euros. It also brings solidarity to the village and you also draw attention to the school.”
The trees can be handed in at two places in the municipality: at the waste collection station in Havelte or the Buitendienst support point in Dieverbrug. And there in the middle of the morning there is a coming and going of cars with carts full of Christmas trees. The Geeuwenbrug neighborhood association arrives with three cars and filled carts. And then it’s just counting. “We already have 35,” says Pieter van Noord of the neighborhood association.
“Last year we had 24 trees, so this is already a nice increase.” It will be even more euros, because once all the trees have been unloaded, the men will set off again. “There are few people picking up items in Dwingeloo, so we will drive there for a while,” says Van Noord. “The money goes into the neighborhood pot. We use it for the New Year’s drinks, which we are already having this afternoon. But we also always go bowling together.”
By the way, there are no gathering places for the trees in Geeuwenbrug. They drive past all the houses. “We put out a call for people to leave them on their doorstep and then we drive through the village and take them away. That always works out fine.”
And while the neighborhood association continues to collect a new load, the next association is already ready with their loot. They also come to exchange Christmas trees for knuckles.