Where to get a Christmas tree? You can borrow or exchange one

A Christmas tree today costs anywhere from several dozen to even several hundred zlotys. To save money and at the same time help the planet, animals, and people in need, you can take part in one of many holiday initiatives organized across the country. Here’s how to help yourself and others.

Borrow a spruce and help animals

In Gdańsk, on December 6, the Borrow a Christmas Tree campaign began, organized by the Municipal Waste Management Plant. Residents can choose from 250 potted spruces, which can be borrowed for a price starting at 50 PLN. Why would someone want to pay more? The entire campaign is a charity fundraiser for the Pomeranian Center for the Rehabilitation of Wild Animals “Ostoja.” Every donated zloty supports sick and/or injured animals that urgently need professional care – it’s hard to imagine a more kind Christmas gesture.

Last year’s proceeds amounted to over 26,000 PLN, and “Ostoja” used them to build a nursery for hedgehogs. This year’s profit will help realize another dream – a hospital for hedgehogs. Trees can be reserved until December 17, and they will be ready for pickup on December 20.

Sławomir Kiszkurno, president of the Gdańsk Waste Management Plant, explains that trees that cannot be saved after borrowing are transformed into soil improver, used, among other things, to enrich the soil in Gdańsk’s Municipal Microforests.

A tree for trash, or an eco-friendly holiday

Those who hurry can still get a tree today, December 13, through an ecological exchange. In Białystok, at the market on Kawaleryjska Street, Christmas trees will be offered for a symbolic price… 2 kg of waste paper. The campaign was organized by the Regional Directorate of State Forests in Białystok in cooperation with the Bielsk Forest District, and an educational booth with nature facts for children and adults was set up at the exchange site.

Today, you can also pick up a tree at the M1 Shopping Center in Łódź, where trees from nearby forest districts are given in exchange for 5–10 kg of electronic waste such as phones, chargers, blenders, or electronic toys. Those bringing less than 5 kg will receive a poinsettia.

Since the beginning of December, districts of Warsaw have also been organizing electronic waste exchanges for fragrant Christmas trees. After Targówek and Bielany, which offered trees last weekend, today the exchange is organized by Praga-Północ. Participants can bring small and large electrical equipment, including refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, or drills, to the district office, where 400 trees are waiting – Caucasian firs and spruces, both cut and potted.

Trees in exchange for waste can also be obtained today at PSZOKs in Słupsk and Myślenice, and in the coming days similar events will be organized in Chmielnik (December 15) and Rawa Mazowiecka (December 20–21).

A tree for blood, or a life-saving Christmas initiative

Yet another proposal for people of goodwill has been prepared by the State Forests in cooperation with Regional Blood Donation and Blood Treatment Centers and Military Blood Donation and Blood Treatment Centers. On December 17, in selected locations across the country, it will be possible to donate blood for accident victims, sick people, and those undergoing surgeries. Organizers emphasize that every drop counts.

All participants who are regular blood donors will receive Christmas trees from the State Forests, obtained during planned maintenance cuts or from Christmas tree plantations. The offer is open to all healthy people aged 18 to 65 who have not undergone any procedures or transfusions in the last four months.

A map of pickup points can be found at https://choinkadlazycia.pl/.