What happens to the flowers?

[LloydsBlackHorse]

When people leave flowers at the death of someone significant, what happens to them all? Do they get donated somewhere or do they just sit and wither and then get binned?

They sit for a while then are removed and disposed of. The Queen's will probably be removed when they start to look rough, especially with all this rain.

On graves and similar, floral tributes are sometimes removed by groundskeepers, family or volunteers who tidy graves. Often they have plastic or plywood and ribbon, floral foam etc so they leave a lot behind when the flowers wilt

The flowers left for princess Diana were turned into something (maybe mulch?) and used to feed new plants and flowers in the palace gardens according to something I read yesterday.

They degrade for a while and then at best they are composted. That’s if all the cellophane is removed first and obviously costs a lot to have people out moving them all. It’s a pet hate of mine. I understand people wanting to pay their respects but they could write in a condolence book and donate a few pounds to one of the Queens favoured charities or one they think she would support.

It's a terrible waste.

There is a memorial to a famous person at my place of work. People travel far to lay flowers all year round. Once a week I'm responsible for tidying them up (straightening them out, putting cards upright and binning ones that look past it). Better that then having the spot look a mess.

I think it would be better if people give a bunch of flowers to someone living on their who might be lonely and might get some pleasure from them.

If the follow the pattern for Diana, Princess of Wales, they will be sorted by suitable volunteers, some point after the funeral

Cards which are still legible will be kept. Anything that's a thing IYSWIM that's in good condition will be donated to charity. Plant matter and biodegradable stuff go to compost. Everything else to landfill.

It happened like that at the bandstand following the death of Sarah Everard, and I think it's a system that works pretty well, so I expect it'll happen like that again

Could not agree more regarding this useless sea of flowers. Why spend money on flowers that generate waste and landfill in the form of cellophane, instead, spend your money on a charity that could actually do some good! Has been a pet hate of mine since Diana died.

I can understand wishing to leave flowers as a mark of respect but I really really hate that people leave the cellophane or paper on.

It conceals the beauty of the flowers, so they are all squashed together.

If all the heaps of flowers that will be left were just flowers it could look glorious.

I think it's all such a waste, flowers are expensive, a donation to charity would make more sense.

They rot and all that plastic that prevented seeing them goes into landfill.

If people have to local charities instead of flowers or could make such a difference.
So many charity events have already been cancelled though 'out of respect'