If you have a tree, do you leave it up until New Years, or take it down right away?

While I was walking the dog this morning, I counted six trees out at the curb waiting for pick up, and I was thrilled that this year none of them were bagged.  Our town picks up branches and yard debris on a regular basis and mulches it.  They also pick up trees, but often people bag their Christmas trees when they put them out at the curb, essentially turning them into garbage.

Before you put your tree out at the curb, check your town’s website, or give a call to town hall to see if they have a program in place for Christmas tree recycling.  Make sure to get any details on how to correctly leave your tree for pick up.  Some pick up services may require that the tree be cut in half. This kind of program often means that residents of the town have access to free mulch – a good thing to remember when you start gardening again in the spring.

The National Christmas Tree Foundation has some great information on regional tree recycling programs.  Trees are used for everything from preserving sand dunes to providing animal habitats. And Earth 911 suggests contacting local preservation groups to see if they collect trees.  Many groups sink them in ponds to provide fish habitats.

eHow has instructions for turning your tree into firewood.

If you have a lot of land, consider allowing your tree to decompose naturally in an inconspicuous place on your property.  If you don’t, and can’t find another way to recycle your tree, offer it up on Freecycle.  A neighbor with a woodchipper may be happy for the mulch material or firewood.

We didn’t get a tree this year, but the last time we did, we waited until the very last minute to get one and ended up with a tiny Charlie Brown tree.  After the holidays, we gave it to Argo and let him play with it in the back yard.  It lasted for months and he had a blast with it, and we had a lot of fun watching him.