Recycle Your Christmas Trees in an Eco-friendly Manner

Christmas is over and it is also time to bid a fitting farewell to your special Christmas tree. The best option is go green by recycling it. Real Christmas trees can be recycled in many ways.

Approximately, 28 million Christmas trees are sold every year in the U.S., according to the CVWMA Web site. These trees can prove a real problem if not disposed off scientifically. The cut Christmas tree doesn't serve much of a purpose except as a decorative piece. You have the option of keeping it in your home till it dries. But once it dries up, the needles and branches start to fall off, resulting in a mess. It is always better to dispose the tree using the Christmas tree recycling programs, as they are eco-friendly.

At recycling centers, the Christmas tree is normally chipped and ground into a mulch product. This mulch can be used for landscaping, beautification projects and residential gardens as pot and flowerbed fills. In certain cities, mulch is also used to prevent shore erosion. Some cities like Round Rock in Texas also offer mulch free of cost to residents. In some centers, they are also burnt in bonfires and dumped in landfills.

Waste management authorities in the United States, along with other designated solid waste management agencies, offer to collect Christmas trees at prefixed timings and drop-off centers throughout the cities. All you have to do is to get your Christmas tree to the collection points. In some states, charity organizations and scouts offer home pick-up for the trees for a donation.

How to prepare your Christmas tree for disposal

Most of the Christmas trees will have decorations. Disposal centers don't accept decorated trees. So you will have to segregate the trash. Remove all the nails, pins, ribbons, tinsel, bulbs, wires and all those little things that are not part of the real tree. It is ideal to wrap the tree in a cloth to save you and your vehicle from damage. Reach it to the nearest recycling centre as per the schedule.

Some states have Bring One for the Chipper events that encourage people to get their tree for chipping. Rest of the trash can be recycled with the regular household-waste disposal facilities of your locality.

What not to do while disposing off your Christmas tree

Don't attempt to burn your Christmas tree in a fireplace. Christmas trees usually burn quickly and produce lot of heat.

Avoid burning them in bonfires without proper precaution. Christmas trees when dry catch fire fast, so proper safety precautions are needed before burning them.

Keep them away from places where they may come in contact with flames. In many cases, a cigarette butt can lead to a major fire. There are already incidents of Christmas tree fires reported in the country.

Most of the Christmas tree recycling programs start from December 26th and continue till the second week of January.