How to Recycle and Reuse Your Christmas Tree

Once the Holiday season has ended, those Christmas trees are stripped of ornaments and tinsel, and hauled out to the trash as quickly as possible. Instead of throwing out your Christmas tree, why not recycle it?

There are so many different ways that a Christmas tree can be recycled.

Reuse the boughs

Mother used to decorate our home in the bleak January and February months with boughs of evergreens recycled from out Christmas tree. She'd create wonderful centerpieces by tucking pine cones and sprigs of Christmas tree greenery around a set of candles.

Smaller branches can be tucked into florist's foam which have been soaked with water. Mom would arrange the branches into a fan shape, and then add fresh flowers to add some color. By keeping the branches in water, she would keep them green clear into spring.

Add winter cover to the back yard

We often leave our Christmas tree in the stand and prop it up near the back gate, where birds eagerly use it as winter cover. To prevent the tree from being knocked over by the winter snows, use tent stakes and heavy twine to secure the tree into position.

To attract the birds to the tree, decorate the branches with handmade bird feeders filled with an assortment of treats. Get the children involved in this project by having them build their own easy to make bird feeder.

Chop up for firewood

A Christmas tree makes terrific firewood or kindling. Once the birds are through using our tree as winter cover, we cut off the branches and chop everything up into firewood. The wood will be a little too wet for this season, but will be nicely dried for next Autumn.

Use it for crafting

For crafters, the wood is wonderful material for making an assortment of wooden toys or other home decor. The trunk is large enough to make bird houses, blocks, or a set of coasters. The branches are ideal for making wall hangings, mobiles, and fishing poles for tiny tots.

Make your own mulch

For those who have access to a wood chipper, the tree can be ground or chopped into mulch for the flower or shrub beds, or around trees. This mulch can also be added directly to your compost pile.

Set it out for community pickup

Most communities have special Christmas tree pickup days, usually the first trash pickup day of the new year. These trees are collected by a special truck and taken to the Parks n Rec where they will be ground up into mulch for city parks. In our community, the trees have to be completely stripped of tinsel and chopped into 4 foot sections in order to be collected for this use.

With all these wonderful uses for a Christmas tree, there's really no excuse to be throwing it in the trash. Through recycling and reusing, a discarded Christmas tree can be enjoyed long after the holiday season has ended.