From composting to upcycling, you have many options for disposing of your Christmas tree.
Oh, Christmas tree. You’re so lovely in the living room for weeks in December. Nearly 350 million Christmas trees are being grown on over 15,000 Christmas tree farms across the nation. Americans purchase around 30 million of these live ones each year to display in their homes.
But what happens when all the presents are opened and the New Year is quickly approaching? What then, O Tannenbaum? What are the options for how to get rid of a Christmas tree after the lights have faded?
Remove the ornaments and lights and dethrone from the stand and skirt. Leave yourself with only the tree’s natural nakedness. Place your Christmas tree corpse into a large tree bag if you have one, or wrap it in an old sheet or blanket if you don’t.
Otherwise, you’ll have twigs and needles decorating your path right out the door. And don’t delay, a dried up tree is a fire hazard and a pine needle wasteland.
Great. Now what? Where does your tree go from here?
There are a number of ways to solve how to get rid of your Christmas tree after Christmas. Below are nine options for your tree eviction.
1. Curbside Christmas tree pickup
Many if not most municipalities offer curbside used Christmas tree pickup. Check your community’s website or social media for availability and schedule pickups. They are often only on certain days and have a final deadline. Same goes for areas where a private company like Waste Management provides trash removal. In either case, check to see if you need to slice your tree up into smaller segments for collection and then place on your curb.
Of course, getting rid of a Christmas tree is a little more complicated for apartment dwellers. If you live in a complex or building where you place your trash in dumpsters or a designated area, check with management for their policy and procedure. And definitely don’t put your tree down the garbage chute.
2. Regular yard waste pickup
Some places don’t have a special Christmas tree removal program. But if you live in a location where yard waste removal happens year-round, you can consider your tree just another landscaping leftover. Like grass or old bushes, your tree can be chopped up and placed into your designated yard waste container or bags. Then put them out on the regular yard waste pickup schedule.
3. Private or charity pickup
If you do not have either of those choices, and still don’t want to drag your tree into your backseat, there are other options. Many charities offer to pick up old Christmas trees from your doorstep or curb with a reservation and a small fee. In many places, the Boy Scouts offer this service for just a $5 donation. Check with your local non-profits to see which provide similar services.
4. Drop-off recycling centers
If the tree recycling won’t come to you, take your tree to the recycling. There are over 4,000 Christmas tree recycling centers in the nation, probably one near you. Many will help get rid of your Christmas tree free of charge.
Some municipalities run their own recycling centers and will woodchip your tree right there, to create mulch to be used for public projects around town. A quick Google search will tell you the best places around you to take your tree for its final journey. Many home improvement centers like Home Depot also provide the service. In some places, you can drop off your tree where you bought it.
You can also get creative. In Philadelphia, for example, you can take your old tree to the Philly Goat Project and for a $20 donation, your family’s Christmas tree will instantly become dinner for the rescue’s goats. Are you close to the shore? Many beach communities also take used Christmas trees to be added to artificial dunes to help stabilize beaches and reduce erosion.
5. Compost and mulching
Like any other yard waste, your old tree can become compost and mulch for use in your backyard or on your building complex’s grounds. Remove branches manually and feed them and the trunk into a wood chipper to create fresh compost for decomposition or mulch for landscaping.
If you are an apartment resident, talk to your management for questions on adding your tree to the community compost pile. Your landlord doesn’t compost? Post-Christmas is a great time to get them on board with a compost program for you and your neighbors.
6. Burn it
Yes, despite stories to the contrary, Christmas trees can make great firewood. But evergreens and pines are loaded with sap, so they are only good for outdoor fires.
Your first step is to prune the tree down to smaller bits and let them sit outdoors to dry. Not overnight or a few days but for weeks. To be used as firewood, evergreens have to be completely dried of moisture and wet sap. If you live in an apartment or shared community, check with management for any questions.
After drying, the kindling can be used as great (and fresh-smelling) wood for fire pits and campfires. And when the backyard party is over, the ashes are nutritious mulch for your or your complex’s garden. But never cook food with Christmas tree wood and never, ever use it for indoor fireplaces or stoves. Evergreens have a high content of flammable oils.
7. Turn it into an animal habitat
Your Christmas tree can also fulfill nature’s promise and be returned to the wild for animals, its original owners. This is a fun alternative solution to how to get rid of your Christmas tree for animal lovers.
Old Christmas trees can be sunk into backyard or park ponds as refuges and feeding areas for fish. Your Tannenbaum will act as an artificial reef for certain fish species and help grow fish populations. But definitely check with your local park service first to find out if you can do so in a public body of water.
As well, your tree could be given back to the birds as the earth intended. Standing your old tree up in your backyard or on your complex’s grounds can serve as a natural birdhouse or bird feeder. Fresh orange slices, strung popcorn or pinecones filled with peanut butter and seed will turn your tree into an organic feeder. The close-spaced pine branches also make a great perch for small birds.
Do you live near a zoo, even a small regional one? Some will take used Christmas trees as toys for lions and tigers. Big cats love pine trees in the same way small cats love catnip. You can even give your tree back to the forest for any animal to use. Check local regulations, but you can often just dump your old tree right back in the woods to decompose with the forest floor.
8. Craft it
If you’re the crafty type, let your old Christmas tree be your canvass or raw materials.
While you are cutting up your tree for recycling or composting, save a chunk of the trunk to cut up into coasters. Find the best, straightest part of the trunk and go to town. Slice as many one-inch coasters out of the trunk as you wish. Sand, polish and decorate them to your liking. Just make sure they’re dried out.
Everyone loves the scent of pine. That’s why it’s one of the most common artificial scents. If your tree’s needles are still green, strip them off and place them in small paper or felt bags and hang them as natural air fresheners. Or you can just bring a pot of water to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and dump some pine needles in. The smell will permeate your home with freshness.
9. Replant it
Why yes, you can replant your Christmas tree. If you planned in advance. If you purchased a Christmas tree this year with its full root ball intact, when the holiday is over, you can plant it right back in the ground. Either place it right in your backyard or speak with your apartment complex management to find a great spot to give your tree its post-Christmas resurrection.
Get ready for next year’s tree
Christmas is away for another year now that the tree has been taken care of. But if you’re looking for a change of scenery for next Christmas, don’t forget to check out great new apartments on Rent., from Christmas, FL to Santa Claus, IN to the little town of Bethlehem, PA.
Source: rent.com