"Treecycling" your holiday tree
When the holidays are over, ornaments are taken down and put back into storage and
strings of lights are re-tangled in knots for next year. But once all the decorations
are put away, what do you do with your natural holiday tree?
"Treecycle" it!
Like other yard waste materials, holiday trees are banned from many area landfills.
So instead of trashing those de-trimmed trees, many area communities offer residents
a number of ways to recycle them — services that not only divert trees from
landfills, but also create a useful resource that can be used for a variety of purposes.
Throughout the region recycled trees are mulched and used for trail surfaces, erosion
control and landscaping. Some are left whole and used to create fish habitat in
local lakes.
Approximately 33–36 million natural holiday trees are produced in the U.S.
every year. For every tree harvested, one to three seedlings are planted the following
spring.
After these trees have decorated our homes, they can be recycled and used
to improve the environment in a number of ways…the holiday gift that keeps on giving!