Recycling & Reusing Your Christmas Tree

COMMUNITY TREE RECYCLING PROGRAMS

Many communities offer Christmas tree recycling programs. Some offer curbside pickup, while others designate drop-off centers, like a local park. Old trees are chopped up and used to mulch park plants or community gardens. Contact your local city hall, public works or parks department to find out what recycling programs are available or where the drop-off locations are in your community.

MAKE MOLD-FREE MULCH

Christmas trees make great mulch in your own yard too. Pine and fir needles dry quickly and decompose slowly, making them perfect to use around plants, especially acid-lovers like azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons. The needles are basically moisture and mold-free, so they’re also ideal mulch for ground cover plants like strawberries.

SMART USES FOR SMALL BRANCHES

Small branches can be used as mulch to protect perennials and flower beds. They’re also ideal as decorative insulation in outdoor flower pots. You can even use branches to stake other plants in your garden.

HOME DÉCOR

Crush dry needles and use them in potpourri. Cut cross-sections of the trunk to create rustic coasters or unique flower pot stands. Seal these sections with polyurethane to prevent sap flow. You can even use branches to create outdoor garland.

BIRD FEEDERS & FISH BEDS

Take your entire tree outdoors to use it as a bird feeder. String orange slices or popcorn, mix one part peanut butter, five parts corn meal and stuff into pinecones, or hang seed feeders or suet cages to attract a mix of birds. The tree gives them a place to eat, rest and hide. Or sink Christmas trees into a private pond to create an excellent refuge and feeding area for fish.

BURN LOGS IN AN OUTDOOR FIREPIT

Careful! Never burn a Christmas tree in an indoor fireplace as branches with needles can spark and ignite very quickly. Plus pine and fir trees are considered soft wood, which can cause creosote build-up in chimneys. Stick with hard wood like oak and hickory for indoor fireplaces. Instead cut up your tree to fuel an outdoor firepit or bonfire. Those quick-to-ignite branches are good for getting a fire started.

TIPS FOR REMOVING A CHRISTMAS TREE FROM YOUR HOME

Live trees can get messy and drop needles when moved outside. These tips makes things easier.

• Use a tree bag:available at local hardware stores, it keeps trees from shedding on their way outside
• Wrap it in plastic: cover your entire tree, including the stand to lessen needle drop
• Sweep up needles with a broom and dustpan: needles are notorious for clogging vacuum cleaners

 

SOURCES:

• https://www.americanforests.org/article/8-creative-ways-to-recycle-or-reuse-your-christmas-tree/
• https://realchristmastrees.org/all-about-trees/how-to-recycle/
• https://www.thisoldhouse.com/green-home/21195273/10-uses-for-your-old-christmas-tree