How To Recycle Your Christmas Tree After The Holidays Are Over

If you’ve decided to get a real Christmas tree this year, you’ve probably put a lot of time and effort into researching the best type of tree for your preferences. You probably also had to find a great local tree farm, select the most beautiful tree on the lot, and then get it back to your home and decorate. But, there is one more step to taking care of a real tree that you may not have thought of: what you’re going to do with it after the holiday season is over. Luckily for you, there are a ton of ways you can recycle, reuse, or repurpose your tree to help benefit the southwest Ohio community, your yard, and your home. Keep reading to find out more information on how you can give your real Christmas tree a new life after the holidays.

Local Pick-up And Drop-Off Options in Dayton: Easy And Hassle-Free

One of the easiest and no-cost ways to get rid of your Christmas tree is to have it picked up by the local trash service or drop it off at a nearby composting or recycling facility. Depending on what city you live in, these trees may be used for a variety of purposes that benefit your local community, such as helping to improve aquatic life in Eastwood Lake or being turned into mulch to help insulate and protect gardens throughout the Dayton area. Just be sure to remove any decorations from your tree and follow your community’s regulations about cutting your tree into smaller pieces if it exceeds a certain height. 

Using Your Christmas Tree Around Your Home

Even though you no longer want your Christmas tree to be the center of your home after the holidays, you can still use it around your house for a variety of crafts and decor purposes! 

  • Use branches as decoration throughout your home for the rest of the winter season. You could drape some over your mantelpiece or some picture frames, create a beautiful centerpiece for your dining room table, or just hang clusters in any room to bring some greenery inside. 
  • You could also use the pine needles from your tree to make pine needle sachets to freshen up drawers and closets. These sachets would also make great gifts for family and friends!
  • Besides the needles, you could also use the wood from your Christmas tree for all sorts of crafts. By cutting the wood into rounds of different sizes and thickness, you could make coasters, bases for centerpieces, ornaments, magnets, and much more!

Using Your Christmas Tree In Your Dayton Yard

In addition to recycling your Christmas tree for use in your home, there are a lot of ways you can use your tree in your yard to help your plants and any friendly animals that might visit.

  • The simplest way to reuse your tree is to use a wood chipper or mulcher to turn it into mulch or compost. Applying mulch to your garden helps protect and insulate your plants’ roots and is especially important during the cold winter months. If you don’t have a mulcher or can’t get access to one, you could also just lay cut branches around the base of your plants.  
  • Placing branches from your tree around broad-leaf evergreen trees or shrubs like holly, boxwood, and rhododendron can help protect their bark and leaves from the harsh sunshine that occurs in winter, as well as pests that might try to chew on different parts of the plant. 
  • If you have a pond in your yard or on your Dayton property, sinking your tree or portions of it can create a natural fish feeder that provides protection for aquatic life. The weight of the tree and its branches will hold it underwater, and over time it will start to grow algae that fish love to munch on. 
  • Another use for leftover Christmas tree branches is creating a habitat for wildlife and overwintering birds. Arranging branches to create a shelter from icy wind and snowfall can give these furry and feathered friends the perfect place to nest and recuperate from the elements. If you have a birdfeeder, try putting branches near or around it to help block the wind so any visiting birds can eat without getting too cold.
  • If you like to go camping or have bonfires, you could use the wood from your tree as fuel! Just make sure never to burn parts of your Christmas tree indoors, as the high sap content in evergreen trees can become a big fire hazard in an enclosed space. 

For All Your Dayton Tree And Shrub Needs, Call Agxact Lawn And Pest

Christmas trees need a lot of care and attention to make sure they look great from the time you pick one out at the tree farm to the time you recycle it, and the trees and shrubs in your yard aren’t any different! If you want to make sure your plants are getting all the nutrients and protection they need to thrive, call the professionals at Agxact Lawn and Pest. We offer a superior tree and shrub care program that focuses on protecting your trees and shrubs from issues common to Ohio, such as leaf spot and spider mites.

Our program also includes fertilization and drenches that will help improve your plants’ growth, root systems, and recovery by creating a natural, forest-like soil that provides for the needs of any tree or shrub.

Visit our website to see more information on our tree and shrub care program or any of our other lawn and pest services, fill out our contact form online, or give us a call at 937-949-8199. And be sure to stay connected with us on our Facebook page, our Instagram page, and our monthly blog, where we share helpful tips for taking care of your Dayton area lawn and home!

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