How to recycle or reuse your Christmas tree
Your tree brought you so much joy over the holiday season -- don't just throw it away! Here are some tips for green, post-Christmas options for your tree.
By PlentyMag.comFri, Jan 02 2009 at 4:20 PM EST
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(Photo: g-hat/Flickr) 
"Nothing lasts forever" is an all-too-accurate adage for the more than 25 million Christmas trees purchased each year in the U.S. All those darn little pine needles drying up and interminably scattering around the house just prove that even the sweetest celebrations must come to an end, especially if you want to keep your home clean. Live Christmas trees readily biodegrade -- so long as they're exposed to oxygen, not smothered in landfills. Their useful lives can be prolonged as mulch for garden beds, barriers against flooding and so on. Preparedness is all!|
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But first, here's the deal with mulch: not only does it protect sloping ground from soil erosion, it also reduces soil compaction from rain, keeps soil moisture from evaporating, keeps weeds down and provides the perfect environment for helpful garden critters like earthworms. In short, it's a gardener's cure-all. Best of all, after Christmas you can get your mulch for free, courtesy of your tree. You can hack off branches with a hand saw and lay them on garden beds as winter decoration and protection. The trunk and thicker branches, however, must be composted or chopped up to make good mulch. "Some municipalities will use a larger size chipper that can handle the bigger tree trunks. The branches could be cut off of the tree trunk and used as mulch or to hold leaf mulch in place," says Anne Edwards, president of the New Jersey Christmas Tree Growers Association. Heads up: Most of the community chipping events around the country happen on January 10. So wrap your tree in an old sheet, tarp or what have you, to keep it stored in one piece until you can cart it to the chipping place.
To locate Christmas tree recycling centers and services in your neighborhood, type in your ZIP code at Earth 911, the brilliant online directory that helps you recycle just about anything. You can also find your municipal parks department or recycling services by searching here at the eminently useful Local.com. Many locales pick trees up curbside, just as they do regular yard waste. Just doublecheck that your municipality recycles trees instead of just dumping them.
"After Christmas is dull compared to the holiday celebrations," says Cynthia Curtis of Perfect Christmas Tree Farm. "We do this event each year to extend the holiday pleasure." For more tree-repurposing ideas, the National Christmas Tree Association highlights how a variety of communities nationwide reuse trees; for how to use your tree as a wild bird feeder, see this article in the Chicago Sun-Times.
This story originally appeared in Plenty in January 2009. The story was added to MNN.com in November 2009.
Copyright Environ Press 2009
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Comments
Jonny Ward
01/11/2012 04:39 AM
If you dont want to have to recycle a tree why not try artificial trees have a look at http://ukchristmasworld.com/Shop/Christmas-Trees/Artificial.html
John
Today 17:53 PM
Here in Croydon we actually have special collections for Christmas trees. It works rather well and avoids the issues noted above.
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Amanda
01/06/2011 20:18 PM
Another idea for what to do with your Christmas tree after you're done with it indoors is to move it outdoors and make bird feeding ornaments and garlands for it. That way you can enjoy it a little longer. Help the birds wintering in your area, and still be able to mulch it later on in the spring. I wrote about it on my blog and gave some ideas for bird seed ornaments. You can check it out if you want @ .... More
macado45
12/09/2010 11:03 AM
Buy a live tree in a pot, I get about a five footer, I decorate it for the season, and after Christmas, I keep it watered in my basement till spring, and then plant it outdoors. You are not killing a tree, you are helping Mother Nature by planting a tree to beautify your neighborhood. If you plant it by your front door, you can continue to decorate it in later years.
martin
09/06/2010 16:24 PM
The trunk and thicker branches, however, must be composted or chopped up to make good mulch. "Some municipalities will use a larger size chipper that can handle the bigger tree trunks.Letters from santa
David Bieber
08/28/2010 00:27 AM
You can hack off branches with a hand saw and lay them on garden beds as winter decoration and protection. The trunk and thicker branches, however, must be composted or chopped up to make good mulch. "Some municipalities will use a larger size chipper that can handle the bigger tree trunks.
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Antler Chandeliers
02/21/2010 22:56 PM
Enter your comments hereGreat stuff...really enjoyed the read. Sometimes it's hard coming
across interesting info as you have on your site. Keep up the great
work!
E Liquid Reviews
02/20/2010 12:26 PM
Great post. Your blog content and theme is wonderful
mobdev
01/12/2010 23:41 PM
People without a garden can send their tree off for community recycling. Many groups collect trees in January and chip them for mulch or use them elsewhere as wildlife habitats or for conservation - so keep an eye out for news about local recycling projects.
Regards, Ovidiu CEO Bonus Pariuri
Mollie
Today 10:19 AM
I may resume that you are completely right! last Christmas my family did the same thing, just sent our tree for conservation! As my children can imagine The Christmas time without Tree, we have to do everything for to care of nature!
johnnydebt
11/25/2009 16:10 PM
Find the best Christmas value online at http://www.gardensandhomesdirect.co.uk/christmas/default.asp
