It's all over and done with before you know it, and all the decorations have to be carefully packed away. There are more pine needles on the carpet than there are on the tree, and the sad looking branches are left standing in a corner.
Year after year, people buy real Christmas trees because of their beauty and nostalgic aroma, but when Christmas is over, what can we do with them?
As many as six million real and artificial Christmas trees end up on landfill sites every year, which if stretched end to end would be enough to reach from London to the North Pole, having a massive impact on not only the environment, but also the limited space available in landfill.
Real Christmas trees can be recycled in many ways. The Christmas season comes at a high price environmentally because of the waste byproducts we as householders throw away each year. By recycling more of the accumulated waste, including our Christmas tree, we can all do our bit to help.
If you are stuck for ideas and ways to recycle a real Christmas tree, then read on as the list we have compiled for you is sure to give you some helpful tips and advice for environmentally friendly solutions.
Tree Pick-ups Councils
Your Christmas tree is picked up by your local council for mulching. Contact your local council for details.
Bird Feeder / Shelter
There are a variety of ways to use the branches for feeding birds. Here are a few ideas:
- Smear the branches with suet
- Coat pine cones with peanut butter and tie them to the branches
- Place strings of cranberries, raisins and popcorn around the tree/branches
- Hang slices of fruit to the tree
Gardening Uses
Cut the branches off the main trunk and place them over perennial beds to protect from frost and thawing. You can then use the larger branches and main trunk as supports for tomato plants and trellis.
Tea Light Holders and Coasters
If you are skilled with a drill and saw, you can always cut slices of wood from the main trunk and either sand and polish them to make coasters or drill a hole half way through the slices and place a tea-light inside. Both options are attractive and practical.
