The lights have dimmed on the holiday season, and now it’s time for the clean up to begin. In many suburban areas, Christmas trees are collected curbside during the first two weeks in January, and in most cases, the trees are chipped and made into a mulch. But there are other options to properly get rid of your tree.

First, make sure to remove all lights, wire, tinsel, ornaments, nails and stands. Remember, live trees usually can’t be thrown into general trash bins, and Christmas tree trash pickup services vary depending on where you live. 

If you choose to dispose of your tree yourself, consider these options:

• Find a mulch facility. This process grinds old trees into other useful materials that can be used to line planters and local parks.
• Turn it into compost. If you choose this route, make sure to remove as many needles as possible because they take a long time to break down. The branches from your tree are an ideal base layer for compost piles. They allow airflow at the bottom of the pile as they decompose slowly over time. Once you have your branches in place, add your food scraps and other compostable items.
• Turn your tree into a craft project. Using your tree’s branches and spare wood pieces, try making holiday ornaments for next Christmas. Get the kids involved and create meaningful gifts for your family. It’s a great way to get a jump start on next year’s holiday list.
• Donate your tree. Check with your local zoo or nearby farms; some of the animals will use trees for a variety of different purposes within their habitats.

Here are a few things you should avoid when disposing of your tree:

• Don’t burn it. While it’s great fuel for a fire, it’s highly recommended that you don’t use it in an indoor setting. In highly populated areas that are prone to bushfires like Southern California, burning your tree outdoors could be dangerous and potentially lead to a wildfire.
• Don’t stuff your tree in a dumpster or a trash can; most waste services will not pick them up if you don’t follow their procedures.

At Mission Landscape, we are the experts in commercial landscape maintenance, tree care, water management, mulch and green waste recycling, landscape architecture, and landscape construction. We serve a multitude of areas in California including: Orange County, Los Angeles County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Sacramento County, and Imperial County.