How You Can Recycle Your Christmas Tree This Year

Christmas is the season of giving. But when it's all over, we are left with nothing but bags full of bows and wrapping paper. While it maybe easier to throw your tree out with the trash, a better alternative is to recycle! It's getting easier by the day to be environmentally-conscious, and Christmas is the perfect time of year to care for the Earth. So before you decide to throw the tree out along with all the paper and plastic, here's how you can recycle your Christmas tree this year.

How To Recycle Your Christmas Tree This Year

Improve Your Landscape

1. Protection for Wildlife

Take your tree out into the yard or garden and place it in an aesthetic, yet practical location. Birds and other wildlife use trees for shelter from both strong winds, cold weather, and even predators. Some people hang fruit or seed cakes from their trees to provide food for animals in the winter. Peanut butter is another popular food item that can be smeared around pine cones. 

2. Landscape Maintenance 

Prune your tree and use the boughs as a temporary winter mulch for your perennials. In addition, tree boughs serve as mulch for other trees, shrubs, or even in flower beds that maybe dormant for the winter. Be sure to contact Dean to enquire about additional uses for Christmas trees.  

Christmas Tree Recycling

Minnesota is encouraging residents to go-green this year and recycle your real-life Christmas trees. Do not burn your tree, as this poses a fire safety hazard. Instead, place your tree along the regular recycling route you normally use before 6:00am for the next 2 weeks after Christmas. Please note, if your tree is longer than 6 feet, you will have to cut it in half. 

Saint Paul residents should take their Christmas trees to the Midway and Frank & Sims Yard Waste sites. To find more information, or to figure out which site is nearest you, visit the Recycle Minnesota website.