How to recycle your real Christmas tree

While the holiday season is a fun, exciting time for many people, cleaning up afterward often isn’t. For those who get back on their feet by decorating their home with a Christmas tree, that includes finally getting the tree down. People with artificial trees can just box their festive fir, but others with real trees have to figure out the best way to get rid of them.

Google search trends data indicates that many people research their tree handling options in the days immediately after Christmas.

Are Christmas trees recyclable?

Yes, Christmas trees are recyclable, but the options for recycling them vary depending on where you live.

Experts recommend recycling live Christmas trees if possible. Many local cities offer options for recycling live Christmas trees immediately after Christmas, usually with designated disposal sites or by pick-up on collection days.

“After the holidays, don’t throw your real Christmas tree in the trash,” says the National Christmas Tree Association. “Real Christmas trees are biodegradable, which means they can be easily reused or recycled for mulch and other purposes.”

The National Christmas Tree Association lists five main ways you can recycle your tree: curbside pickup, take your tree to a throwaway recycling center, pick up with recycling and cover programs community, nonprofit collection and fitting your tree into a yard waste container.

Cities differ on how they handle recycled Christmas trees. In St. Louis, residents can leave their trees bare in one of three city parks for a few weeks after Christmas. In Wake County, North Carolina, residents can drop off their trees at a park or convenience center for nearly a month after Christmas. Residents of Miami-Dade County in Florida can choose to drop their tree or they can leave their tree by the roadside beginning January 11, 2023. After that, residents of Miami-Dade County can pick it up. free mulch layer after the county begins its recycling program.

Although St. Louis, Wake County and Miami-Dade County all provide these services free of charge, Waste Management, a garbage collection company typically contracted by cities and counties, notes that in some communities, it may be possible. One-time fee for Christmas tree picked up.

Additionally, the National Christmas Tree Association recommends several options for recycling yourself. You can remove the branches and chop those branches to use as mulch for the garden. Another way you can keep your tree useful for a long time over the holidays is to remove decorations from the tree, place it in your backyard or garden, and stick foods like orange slices. fresh up there to turn the tree into a bird feeder.

Home Depot says that if you plan to recycle your tree, you should avoid materials like spray cans when decorating your tree. The chemicals in most of these sprays will make the plants non-recyclable. Also, before recycling your tree, you should remove all Christmas decorations, tinsel, and garlands from the tree.

Home Depot also warns that most pick-up programs have size limits on trees, so you may have to cut down your tree if it’s particularly large.

If you can’t recycle your live plant for any reason, throwing it away, although not ideal, is your next best bet. The National Christmas Tree Association and Home Depot say it’s important that you never dispose of your tree by burning it in your home.

“Don’t burn your tree in a fireplace or wood stove,” says Home Depot. “As a result, a buildup of creosote can catch fire and cause house fires.”