Thursday, December 31st, 2009...12:45 am
Recycle Your Christmas Tree in the New Year
Christmas tree recycling in action
Who knew there was a National Christmas Tree Association? Well, there is and these folks have a nifty website that shows all the new and creative ways that communities dispose of Christmas trees without throwing them in the trash. I like that–the notion of keeping trees out of the trash.
Thankfully, my town started a Christmas tree recycling program last year (full disclosure: I’m a member of the recycling committee that got that initiative going), and we’re doing it again in 2010. This makes me happy because it will save me from rescuing Christmas trees from my neighbors’ trash, something I’ve done for the past few years. Just imagine me, dragging a 12-foot tree down the street so I can compost it in my woods instead of letting it end up in a landfill.
Anyway, maybe you can make your New Year’s resolution for 2010 to recycle your live Christmas tree–assuming you have a live Christmas tree and you celebrate Christmas.
Not sure if your town offers a Christmas tree recycling program this year? I would recommend clicking over to Earth 911. This site offers a searchable directory of recycling services, including seasonal Christmas tree recycling. In fact, here’s a timely article on the notion of Treecycling, the act of recycling a Christmas tree.
If you discover that, in fact, you do not have a tree recycling option this year, here are some other things that you can do to discard your tree in an earth-friendly and frugal manner:
- Turn your tree into free mulch that you can use in your garden. See if a local tree farm, nursery or landscaping company will take back a tree and grind it up as mulch. Or use your own wood chipper to create mulch for spring gardening. (Cover the mulch pile with a tarp until it’s warm enough to use.) This is the most frugal and green option, don’t you think?
- Ask a neighbor with woods behind his/her house if you can toss your tree there. The tree will biodegrade naturally and even create a habitat for woodland animals. (My friends and neighbors can come by my house anytime to dump their tree. Really.)
- Cut your tree into small pieces and place in your composting bin. It will break down with the rest of the organic matter in there.
What are you doing this year to keep your Christmas tree out of landfills?
P.S. Happy New Year!
YAY! This is an awesome post! I have an artificial tree but love the look of a real tree. I just can’t bring myself to cut down a living tree!
A friend just came over today and turned my (formerly) live Christmas tree into fireplace kindling – which saves the tree from the landfill, and saves me the cost of buying good, dry, kindling-worthy wood from the store.