6 Ways to Recycle Your Real Christmas Tree

It's hard to believe it's already January, and time to take down the Christmas tree - a sad time for children (and adults) everywhere.... But you can make this occasion just a little less sad this year by disposing of your Christmas tree responsibly.

Every year, between 34 and 36 million Christmas trees are produced every year. At the end of Christmas season, a lot of these trees end up simply discarded. But there are really much better ways to dispose of a Christmas tree. Ways that are much better for the environment - and not much hassle at all.

Here are a few different ways to responsibly dispose of your real Christmas trees.

1. Curbside Pickup

Don't just throw your tree out onto the curb after Christmas. Many municipalities will recycle your tree into mulch that can be used by the city or its residents. Look up when curbside pickup actually happens in your area. Generally it's around 2 weeks after Christmas. Look up when they're doing pickups and place your tree outside then.

If you put your tree out front too early, it could get treated as trash. If you do it too late, you might miss the curbside pickup window and again the tree will just be treated as trash. Note that some cities don't offer Christmas tree pickups at all, so do make sure you check your county's or locality's website.

Christmas Tree recycling bin in Place des Vosges (Paris, France). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

2. Look Up Green Non-Profits

Look up green and environmentally oriented non-profits in your area. Chances are many of them will have partnerships with recyclers that help people get rid of their Christmas trees. Generally all the information you need will usually be on their website, though you can also call and ask.

3. Call the Boy Scouts

You can also just have the tree picked up for you by the Boy Scouts. Just call your local Boy Scouts chapter and ask if they have a program to pick up Christmas trees.

You'll generally have to pay them $5 to $10 for this service. But this is a great way to make sure your tree gets recycled, as well as to support your local Boy Scouts chapter and help teach kids the value of helping the community.

4. Use It As Firewood

If you live in a cold part of the country, and you have a fireplace, you could just cut up the tree and use it as firewood. Christmas trees aren't the best burning woods in the world and can be smokier than your average firewood, but it's still a good way to get rid of a tree if push comes to shove. Chop it up and burn it in small pieces. You may also wish to save it and let it dry out in a shed or garage and burn it later in an outdoor fire pit to avoid as much smoke and soot indoors.

5. Shred It Into Mulch

A lot of cities today have programs that shred your tree into mulch for you. Basically a tree shredder drives to your house and the tree is turned into mulch on the spot. This makes a great mulch for pathways and garden walkways.

6. Drive It To the Recycler

If you can't find anyone to pick it up for you and if you miss the curbside pickup deadline, then you can just drive your tree to the recycler yourself. Most recyclers will take your tree completely free of charge.

With so many different options for recycling a Christmas tree, there's really no reason to throw yours away. Avoid waste, and turn your tree into something useful this year!

5 Holiday Recycling Tips

The holidays are a time of joy and celebration - But they can also be a time of waste. People often throw all kinds of things away during the holidays and create all kinds of trash that ends up in the landfills. A lot of this waste can be avoided.

Here are five tips to help improve your recycling this holiday season, and reduce your environmental impact - which is a great gift to the planet!

Tip #1: Recycle Your Batteries

Batteries. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Don't throw away batteries. Batteries contain chemicals that pollute landfills and poison land. Yet most people simply chuck their batteries in the garbage can when they're done. Worse yet, a lot of the toys and gifts exchanged during the holidays have batteries in them, so more batteries are used this time of year than any other. Luckily there are more options available every day for responsibly disposing of used batteries.

How do you recycle your batteries? Simple. Collect them and take them to RadioShack or Home Depot. That's right - They'll recycle your batteries for you, for free.

Tip #2: Recycle Your Catalogs

Holiday season is also catalog season. Chances are you're going to get a whole slew of catalogs in the mail, even if you never asked for them.

Don't throw them away. Instead, collect all of them and recycle them. Do this for all the papers, mailers and various scraps that'll come your way in the holiday season. This includes greeting cards that you don't plan on keeping.

Tip #3: Shipping Materials

If you're shipping presents to other people, pack your boxes with newspaper. It works just as well as Styrofoam, but is easier on the environment. Not only is Styrofoam made of toxic chemicals that clog up landfills, the process to make them is toxic as well.

If you're receiving gifts in the mail, make sure you recycle all the shipping materials. Recycle your cardboard boxes and any packaging you can.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Tip #4: Buy Recyclable Gift Wrap

Not all gift wrap is recyclable. When you're shopping for wrapping, look for the recyclable symbol. The more people who buy recyclable gift wraps, the more likely stores are to stock them in the future.

Don't be shy about telling people you give gifts to that the gift wrap can be recycled. A lot of people just won't know.

Tip #5: Reuse, Reuse, Reuse

Reusing something is far better than recycling something. When you recycle something, be it plastic or paper, only a fraction of what you throw out can actually be reused. Recycling is also an energy intensive process. When you reuse something, you skip all of that.

Reuse your boxes. Re-gift presents that you don't like. Store your artificial Christmas tree for next year instead of throwing it out. Look for creative ways to reuse things instead of just tossing it in the trash or recycle bin.

These five tips will help you stay eco-friendly this holiday season. Get in the habit of asking yourself: "Can I recycle or reuse this?"

Alternatives to Cutting Down A Christmas Tree

Well, the feast is over (except for the leftovers), and it's Black Friday! (Be sure to see Tuesday's post for some great eco-friendly gift ideas to pick up while you're out today!) Along with this holiday shopping tradition, another common tradition is bringing home the Christmas tree this weekend. Every year, over 30 million lives are destroyed in the weeks before Christmas. Those lives belong to the myriad of Christmas trees that are unceremoniously tossed out every year. Instead of cutting down a tree, what if you took a different take? There are a number of alternatives you could use for your Christmas tree this year that don't involve destroying a tree.

1. Plant the Tree Afterwards

Instead of buying a tree that has had its roots cut off, buy a tree with its roots intact. This could be a little trickier if you're buying a tree in a store; but quite easy if you drive directly to the tree farmer. If you can't find a tree with roots, call up some of your local green and eco-friendly non-profits and they'll be able to point you in the right direction.

Getting a tree with roots lets you plant your tree in your garden after Christmas is over. To cover up the roots, just place the tree in a pot and add some dirt on top. After Christmas, just pull out the tree and plant it in your backyard.

2. Choose A Light-Based Christmas Tree

Christmas Tree (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are a lot of incredible Christmas trees you can buy that create the Christmas tree shape using lights. Some of them are spinning lights, others are stationary. Some even use elaborate setups of candles.

These Christmas trees are a fantastic way to save trees while still having a tree that looks stellar. Better yet, you don't have to throw them out every year. Just put them in storage and pull it out again next year.

3.  Make Your Own Light Tree

If you're feeling crafty and looking for a fun project you can do with your family this holiday season, create your own light tree. It's pretty simple.

Start with a projector, a spotlight or some other source of bright directional light. Then take a piece of paper and cut out the shape of a Christmas tree. Take transparent colored paper and tape it in different ways across the paper.

When you shine the light through the paper, it'll now look like a Christmas tree on your wall. The colored paper will create a rainbow color effect on the tree. This is an eco-friendly, affordable and fun way to create your own tree.

4. Get A Plastic Christmas Tree

Finally, you can buy plastic Christmas trees. These trees are often treated as disposable, though you can easily put them in storage and use them again and again. While plastic trees can be a good way to save a tree, they still require a chemical process to create and use petrochemicals. They also don't look as good, so only use this option as a last resort.

These are some of the many different alternative Christmas trees you can choose from. There are a lot of options other than just a traditional Christmas tree.

Finding Eco-Friendly Christmas Decoration Ideas

Decorations can cause a lot of waste during the holiday season every year. Although many of us have decorations that we re-use every year, many stores are now stocking cheap, plastic decorations that wear out quickly and don't do anything to help the environment. Why not think about what kind of eco-friendly decorations you could use instead?

Natural Christmas Wreath (Photo credit: **Mary**)

Decorate With Nature

If you're in the market for new eco-friendly decorations then one of the best places to find them is outdoors. There are plenty natural items that you can use to decorate your home. And once Christmas is over, you can leave them to biodegrade naturally.

1. Pinecones: You'll often find these on the ground during the winter, so gather some for free - and without harming any trees in the process - and glue them to wreaths or other Christmas decorations.

2. Leaves: What better way to make your home look like Christmas than by using a variety of winter leaves? Ivy is just perfect for decorations: combine it with twigs and holly and you can create the perfect, homemade wreath.

3. Berries and Nuts: We all associate nuts and berries with Christmas, and thankfully nature provides them for free. If you can, gather some acorns and holly berries to add to your decorations this year.

One of the best things about using natural, eco friendly decorations is that it encourages you to get outside and experience the real beauty of winter. Not only this, but you can turn it into a project for the whole family to enjoy together.

Recycled Paper

If you and your kids like to make your own Christmas decorations, then using recycled paper can be a great way to go about it. Paper chains are a simple way to decorate the home, or you can use old paper scraps or even old cards or gift wrap to create snowflakes and more!

Christmas Tree & Lights

Christmas decoration at the Christmas Market in Aachen, Germany (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Choosing trees that can be planted outside after Christmas is the most eco-friendly choice, and LED lights are the most energy saving way to light them. For ornaments, try making your own from recycled materials (old CDs, cardboard, fabrics and more), or even pretty food items like brightly colored dried peppers, popcorn, or cranberries, and add some organic, fair trade candy, too!

The key to using eco friendly Christmas decorations is to use natural, biodegradable materials wherever possible. When you do buy decorations, make sure that they are good quality and will be reused for years to come. And, if you have old decorations you no longer want, try donating them to ensure they still get some use instead of going into a landfill.

Have a wonderful, healthy, happy, and green Christmas!

What To Do With Your Christmas Tree After Christmas?

Image via WikipediaFor the green family, it can seem terribly wasteful to throw that great tree in the landfill. Some areas have Christmas tree recycling programs, and others don't.

Here are some ideas for what to do with that used (real) Christmas tree, after the holiday has come and gone (please note that for artificial trees, you should wrap the tree and place for safekeeping for next year - artificial trees are not usually recyclable, and you sure don't want those in a landfill - what a waste!):

Christmas Tree Recycling and Disposal
Christmas Tree Recycling The holidays are over, the presents are unwrapped and you have figured out how to recycle Christmas wrapping paper, but what about the tree....
Publish Date: 12/13/2010 5:00
http://www.diyreviews.net/2010/christmas-tree-recycling-and-disposal/

 

Related articles on Christmas Trees & the Environment:

• A Fake vs. a Real Tree (green.blogs.nytimes.com)
• "Why the claim that fake Christmas trees are eco-friendly is wrong" and related posts (personalmoneystore.com)
• Christmas Trees and the Environment (dendroica.blogspot.com)