by Todd Pheifer

Created on: December 11, 2008   Last Updated: December 14, 2008

The holiday season goes by so fast...

Decorating the Christmas tree is something that some people look forward to all year. Gathering around the tree, sipping hot chocolate, and putting up those classic ornaments is pure joy for those who love the Christmas season. Of course, the season soon passes by and the tree becomes dry, brittle, and brown. Soon, it is a fire hazard and it is time to take things down. Removing the ornaments and lights is simple enough, but wrestling that tree out of the house can be a chore. Here are a few thoughts on how to recycle your Christmas tree.

Bag it!

Some cities will allow for trees to be picked up if they are in a proper bag. Increasingly, tree vendors are providing over-sized bags to customers when they buy their trees. The key with these bags is to put them in place when you set up your tree. If you place the bag under the tree, all you have to do is lift the tree out of it's stand, remove the stand, and then lift the bag around the tree. Granted, this can still require some physical effort and it usually requires at least two people to get done.

Clip, clip, clip

Another way to recycle the Christmas tree is to cut it into pieces. Some cities will pick up "yard waste", which would include the clippings from the tree. Other people might think about clipping the tree into pieces and putting the branches in a compost pile. Granted, it will take some time for it to decompose, but this is a good way for the tree to have a good use after Christmas. The trunk can also be used for firewood, after it has dried for a time. Of course, if you have a friend that owns a chipper, the tree can be mulched with that type of equipment and the resulting materials can be used for mulch or ground cover.

Planting an idea

This may seem a bit unorthodox to some, but a Christmas tree can be planted. In order to do this, people have to buy a live tree in a pot, rather than a cut tree. Granted, they will have to hunt around a bit more for this sort of Christmas tree, but they can be found at nurseries and home improvements stores. Usually they are a good deal smaller than the "traditional" Christmas tree, but they can be found. After the Christmas season is over, the tree can be planted in the yard or someone's property that has space.

Think of the environment

As society is increasingly concerned about the environment and the loss of trees, people are looking for ways to conserve natural resources. We may reach a point where Christmas trees in their current form are a thing of the past and people either use live trees, or they have no trees at all. Until this point, there are ways to recycle the tree so that it is put to some good use beyond decoration.

Outside sources

There are also a number of agencies who specialize in the benefits of recycling Christmas trees. For additional ideas, check out the National Christmas Tree Assocation at http://www.christmastree.org/recycle.cfm

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