The NSW Government has furthered its pledge to plant more trees within the Greater Sydney area this week, announcing that a further 45,000 trees will be planted by councils and within 10,000 Greater Sydney households in an attempt to make the region a greener and subsequently more beautiful place to live.

Speaking at Narellan’s Bunnings Warehouse, Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes says the company has teamed up with the Berejiklian Government to give away 26,500 free trees to Greater Sydney households.

“Our Free Tree Giveaway with Bunnings is open to all 33 local government areas across Greater Sydney, giving 10,500 eligible households a tree to plant in their yard,” he says.

“Trees make a huge difference to our lives; they improve air quality, create habitats for our beautiful wildlife and are the best way to manage the urban heat island effect which we know is a particular problem in Western Sydney.”

Member for Camden Peter Sidgreaves says that the free tree giveaway is a great opportunity for the community to liven up their garden spaces, as well as helping the environment.

“This is a great partnership where people can simply order a new tree online and go and pick it up at their local Bunnings,” he says.

“The varieties available will change every month, so keep an eye out for native trees, flowering trees and even some fruit trees.”

Stokes also announced a $9.9 million boost in grants as part of the Greening our City program for 20,000 trees to be planted in 23 council areas.

“Greening our City is a wonderful program to increase our tree canopy. It was first launched in 2018 and has since delivered more than $15 million to local councils for planting 66,000 trees,” he says.

“We’re already more than halfway to meeting the Premier’s Priority to plant one million trees by 2022 and every tree planted from each of these programs gets us one step closer.”

Those who wish to apply for a free tree are encouraged to do so online. Once available and ready to be planted, the nearest Bunnings store to the household will be in contact. A variety of seasonal trees will be available between June and October.

For more information, including a list of eligible suburbs and participating Bunnings Warehouse stores for the free tree giveaway, click here.