While the Christmas tree has become one of the season’s most enduring and treasured traditions, disposing of a live tree can be one of the season’s greatest pains.
However, while some garbage disposal companies will accept trees, Paul Braasch of the Adams Clermont Solid Waste District suggests taking a different route with your tree than a landfill. Most people are familiar with recycling aluminum or plastic, but trees can gain a second life through the process as well.
“Typically, a lot of places will give you back the ground up tree if you want it for mulch,” said Braasch. “A lot of times they use it in the parks as mulch or for walking paths. It can also be easily used for compost.”
Locations are popping up around the county this week for Christmas tree recycling, a process that keeps this season’s holiday tradition from becoming tomorrow’s landfill problem. The process, which has become fairly popular, lets you turn in your old tree for a new pile of mulch, or in other instances, a donation to someone else’s landscaping. All you need to do, said Braasch, is get the tree clean of any ornamentation and get it to a recycling station.