Regifting Your Christmas Tree in Roswell, GA

The Christmas tree is one of the most globally recognized symbols for the Christmas holidays. It's usually a family tradition to gather together pick, the exact perfect tree, fidget with it until it's as upright and straight in the stand as one can make it and then decorate it. The untangling of the lights, the placing of each ornament in precisely the right spot on precisely the right branch, tossing tinsel joyously are all a part of the tradition.

For a month, possibly more, the tree will stay up, it's lights a warm glow in the evening. Slowly presents will begin to fill the space beneath it, small needles will fall from the branches, and finally that glorious morning when everyone gathers 'round and opens their gifts. The tree may or may not stay up long after that fateful morning.

What happens to the tree after all the tinsel, ornaments, and lights come down, are packed away, and stored? Too often that beloved symbol gets tossed to the curbside to be carried away by the waste management employees who work tirelessly to keep our neighborhoods clean. This year, consider recycling your Christmas tree.

One of the big questions is why you should recycle your Christmas tree rather than just allow it to be taken away to a land fill. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website, "landfills are the largest human-related source of methane (a greenhouse gas) in the U.S., accounting for 34 percent of all methane emissions." ¹

So what does this have to do with your Christmas tree? Reading further the EPA site details that, "Methane is generated in landfills and open dumps as waste decomposes under anaerobic (without oxygen) conditions. The amount of methane created depends on the quantity and moisture content of the waste and the design and management practices at the site." Since the Christmas tree is organic, and has been kept 'alive' through the use of the water trough it's placed in to keep it green and full over the Christmas holidays it's full of water and sap creating the conditions in which methane is produced in landfills.

Where do you take your trees for recycling in the state of Georgia then? Cristmastree.org had the answer:

"The state of Georgia is well-known for its recycling efforts, and its Christmas Tree recycling program is another one of its many successes. Cleverly titled "Bring One for the Chipper", the program is organized by Keep Georgia Beautiful in cooperation with private sponsors such as The Home Depot, The Davey Tree Expert Company and WXIA-TV in Atlanta.

The Chipper program involves hundreds of Georgia communities and thousands of volunteers. Communities have the option of coordinating a pick-up program or relying on designated drop sites; the trees are then turned into mulch that is used for playgrounds, beautification projects and individual yards. The program was first started in the Atlanta metro area in 1987 and went statewide in 1990. Since its inception, the program has recycled 4 million Christmas Trees."²

The Chipper appears at Home Depot stores across the state of Georgia starting after December 26th, though actual dates have not yet been released. Keep your eyes on your local Home Depot store's windows for posters detailing when you can bring your tree in.

Using the homedepot.com³ website's store locater you can find the most convenient location for you. There are 20 stores within a 20 mile radius of Alpharetta, GA including locations on State Bridge Rd, Holcomb Bridge Rd, Windward Pkwy, Peachtree Pkwy, Tilly Mill Rd, and Woodstock Rd.

Happy recycling!

_{¹ http://www.epa.gov/methane/sources.html
² http://www.christmastree.org/recycle2.cfm
³ http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreFinderView?langId=-1&storeId=10051}