How To Recycle Your Christmas Tree

Christmas tree in bin with recycled sign cardboard

January has finally arrived, meaning it’s time to take down and dispose of your tree. Instead of throwing it away, you can recycle it this year. That way, your tree won’t end up in a landfill. Find out what you need to do to recycle your Christmas tree. Then you can tackle this project in no time.

Take Down the Christmas Tree

First, you need to take down your tree and the stand. Remove all the lights and ornaments, put everything away, and place a garbage bag around your tree to prevent additional needle loss. Then carry the tree outside.

Make Sure Your Tree Can Be Recycled

Next, you need to make sure that you can recycle your Christmas tree. If it’s flocked, you have to dispose of it instead of recycling it. In that case, you can put it on the curb for the garbage company to collect.

Decide How You’re Going to Recycle It

You have a few options for recycling your Christmas tree. First, if you have curbside pickup, you can see if the program takes Christmas trees. Then you can leave it on the curb for pickup. Keep in mind that companies generally only offer this service for a limited time, so don’t wait too long to take action.

Second, you can see if there are any drop-off events in your area. If not, you can take your tree to a recycling plant.

Finally, you can recycle it yourself by repurposing it. For instance, you can turn it into a fish habitat if you have a pond on your property. You can also use it to make ornaments or other mementos. Oh, and you can even turn the tree into mulch. Facilities usually use this method to recycle trees, but this way, you can benefit from the mulch yourself.

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Prepare the Tree for Recycling

If you’re going to use a recycling facility, you might need to prepare the tree. Some recycling programs take full trees, but you should contact the facility in advance to make sure. If the program doesn’t accept full trees or if you are using a curbside pickup, you’ll need to cut it up. Depending on the program, you might need to cut it in half or into chunks.

Keep these tips in mind while taking down your tree and preparing it for recycling. Then you can either recycle it yourself, drop it on the curb, or take it to a facility for recycling.

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