So you've seen all the articles on alternative Christmas trees (4 Modern Alternatives, 7 Bizarre Alternatives) but just couldn't do without the warm pine scent and the ornament adorned greenery. That's fine! Just know that there are alternatives to leaving it on the curb when you're done.
The 72' tree at Rockefeller Center (pictured above) will be donated to Habitat for Humanity to provide wood for housing projects, for the second year in a row. Even the Vatican is going green by recycling their tree from St. Peter's Square to make toys for children. Others are recycling trees into vaccines, and even dune restoration.
While maybe your tree's not big enough to make wood for housing projects, you should know about treecycling - the act of recycling your Christmas trees so that they can be turned into compost or mulch.
Christmas trees are recycled for five main types of large-scale uses for post-harvest trees. From Earth911, these are:
- Chipping (chippings are used for various things from mulch to hiking trails)
- Beachfront erosion prevention
- Lake and river shoreline stabilization
- Fish habitat
- River delta sedimentation management
Find a treecycling program here (look at the search box on the right) or read how to start your own!
Resources:
Olivia's Life in London…On a Budget 
Aftermarket Resources for Customizing IKEA Furniture 
Like us on Facebook
RSS Feed (Atom)
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Bracken Ridge Rug 13
12 Recipes to Know By Heart
How To Make Cake Pops
Comments (3)
I live near the Gulf and every year they have Xmas tree drop offs and then volunteers all drive 'em to south padre to prevent erosion.
Since I have been away in NYC friends from Jersey told me they don't practice this on the East Coast or near the beaches where they live. Not sure if that's true or not.
I've got a reason, how about the simple fact of respecting mother nature? People who just toss their tree on the side of the road - LONG before bulk pickup is due is just such a sorry image. We buy these trees in their glory...proud parents we strap them onto our cars and pay lots of money for them, decorate them to bring out their best features and then a few short weeks later we toss them like a dirty diaper.
I loathe seeing tree that have been dropped off in some vacant lot or field in the middle of the night...and are just left there.
My husband and I bought a real tree with roots and all, our plan is to keep it indoors for 10 days and then move it to the garage for the winter, come spring it'll be planted outside!