Your Christmas tree has been beautifully decked with the sparkling ornaments and trinkets you’ve placed on its branches for weeks, sitting quietly in a corner of your house.
But now that the holiday is over, the presents are no longer there, the needles are starting to drop to the ground, and the trunk has turned into a glorified scratching post.
What will you do with it now, then?
Here are some ideas for recycling, reusing, or getting rid of your beautiful tree.
Recycle your tree by making compost or mulch out of it.
Fortunately, your tree is easily biodegradable and may be put back into the wild. You can put it on your compost pile, if you have one.
Additionally, a lot of locations will take in unadorned trees to be processed into mulch and compost using a wood chipper.
For heaven’s sake, avoid running your tree through the mulcher while the lights are still on.
Dream up some lovely landscaping ideas
If you’re a crafty creature, there are many creative ways to use an old tree in your landscaping.
Cut the trunk into slices and use them to line your flower beds or walkways. You can also create dynamic garden displays by cutting trunk pieces at different thicknesses and using them as pot risers.
Those with serious green thumbs may also use the branches of their tree to line perennial flower beds. The evergreen boughs will catch snowfall and insulate the patch of dirt from winter chills.
The branches can also be utilized as natural stakes for plants that require a bit more assistance.
Utilize it as fuel for outdoor fires.
For an outdoor firepit or bonfire, dried branches and trunk chunks make fantastic kindling; just make sure the fire is kept outside.
Christmas trees produce creosote, a poisonous chemical mostly composed of tar, into the fire smoke when they burn. Your chimney’s interior may accumulate creosote, which raises the possibility of a chimney fire.
Savor it like a tree.
You may use your tree as a tree? Who would have guessed? You probably already had this option in mind if you bought a potted tree or one with its roots balled in burlap.
Purchasing a tree with its roots still in tact enables you to plant it in your yard after the holiday, adding a stunning, year-round evergreen feature.
Make your house feel new.
Even after the tree has died, the sweet scent of evergreen needles may linger.
To prolong the festive scent of the tree for a short while longer, simply remove the needles before discarding it and place them in sachets or bowls of water.
Get rid of your tree and contribute to the community
Numerous localities have devised inventive methods to repurpose old Christmas trees.
The Somerset County Park Commission offers a free yearly Christmas tree recycling program in north central New Jersey. The parks system uses the wood chips and mulch made from the trees to preserve and enhance the plant life. There is a comparable initiative in New York City.
Additionally, the city of San Diego has a free service at sixteen places where citizens can drop off trees to be turned into compost, mulch, and wood chips that are available for purchase all year long.
