There are many creative Christmas Tree Recycling Options. At the very least, be sure to take your tree to a local recycling center.
KC: Kansas City Tree Recycling
- Mulch: The shedding needles can be used as mulch in your garden, and the branches can be added to your compost pile. Pine needles dry quickly and decompose slowly, making them an excellent moisture- and mold-free mulch for ground-covering crops, such as strawberries, to rest on.
- Create a Bird Sanctuary: Place your tree in its stand outdoors. Fill bird feeders and hang them from the boughs, or drape the tree with a swag of pinecones coated with peanut butter. You can even add birdseed on the peanut butter.
- Insulate Perennials: Cut off boughs and lay them over perennial beds to protect them from snow and reduce frost heaving.
- Edge Your Borders: Cut the trunk into 2-inch discs and set them in the soil to edge flower beds or walkways.
- Shelter Fish: If you live near a lake or have a pond, and your tree is chemical-free, toss branches into the water to provide sheltering habitat for overwintering fish. (Get permission from town officials, if needed.)
- Set a Stage for Containers: Saw the trunk into different lengths and use the pieces as flowerpot risers for a dramatic group display.
- Make Trivets: Cut thin slabs off the trunk, sand them smooth, and apply a thin coat of polyurethane to keep the sap off tables and glassware.
- Chip It: Rent a chipper (get a few neighbors together to split the cost) and feed the tree through it. Next spring, spread the wood chips under shrubs; they’ll suppress weeds and, as they decompose, add nutrients to the soil.
- Fire Pit: It’s fine to use a few of the quick-to-ignite branches to start an outdoor fire pit—but never in an indoor fireplace.
- Bonfire: Get together with those around you for a neighborhood bonfire (check local ordinances in your area).
- Firewood: Christmas trees can make great recycled firewood. Cut your old tree up, remove all of the tinsel and any other decorations, and use it as kindling in an outdoor fire. Make sure the tree is completely dry before burning it and never use in an indoor fireplace where creosote build-up is a hazard.
- Stake Your Plants: Strip small branches and use the remaining twigs to support indoor potted plants or stake seedlings.
- Make wood chips: Run the trunk and large branches through a wood chipper, if you have access to one, to make wood chips that can be used for mulch, to suppress weeds or for landscaping.
- Pathways: Cut the trunk into slices to use as stepping stones in your garden or around your yard. They can be used along the edges of existing paths as markers, and can be painted white to lead the way home.
- Bird feeder: Cut the tree down to a few feet high and drill out the trunk to create a hole for bird seed and other bird food. Then sit back and let the bird watching begin.
- Replant it: If you thought ahead and bought a potted Christmas tree instead of a cut tree, then you can probably replant it and have a good chance that it will grow in your yard.
- Brush pile: This can be another good use to recycle your tree if you have a lot of land. Get a few trees from neighbors and create a brush pile for wildlife to live in.
- Artwork: If you have the skills , or even if you don’t, make Christmas tree recycling an art by carving a large section of the trunk into a sculpture. Or cut a cross section of the trunk and paint it to create art for your garden.
- Insulate perennials: Cut off some of the boughs and lay them over perennial beds to insulate them from the snow and frost. As the needles fall off, they’ll help the soil retain moisture and heat.
- Coasters: Cut the trunk into thin slices and sand them down to create unique coasters. If sap is coming out of the tree pieces, paint a thin layer of polyurethane over them.
It is a Happy New Year with so many great ideas for Christmas tree recycling to keep them out of the landfill and put them to good use.
