Treecycle This Holiday Season
The holiday season is here again and with it comes the different decorations that make up our individual celebrations. One of the most popular decorations of choice is the classic Christmas tree.
If you come from the “live tree” school of thought, then you are probably getting geared up to pick the perfect tree. While planning where and when to get your tree, start to think of how and where you are going to dispose of it once the festive season has passed.
Real vs. Fake
You may be asking, isn’t it more eco-friendly to buy an artificial tree that can be reused so you don’t even need to dispose of it? It depends on who you ask.
The National Christmas Tree Association annually releases this fact sheet to help educate the public. It compares the pros and cons of fake vs. real trees in everything from origin to production to ingredients.
Take a Deep Breath
There are nearly 500,000 acres of Christmas trees in the U.S., with each acre providing the daily oxygen requirement of 18 people. When one tree is cut down, three seedlings are planted the following year to replace it, making it the ultimate carbon offset. In 2008 alone, an estimated 40 to 45 million Christmas trees were planted in North America.
On the flip side, those trees are often sprayed with pesticides. However, artificial trees contain lead to produce the PVC material in the needles. These trees can “off-gas” (think of the smell when you first remove your tree from its box and air it out) and can create issues for those who have chemical sensitivities. Also, no matter how many years you use an artificial tree, eventually it has to be disposed of and most often ends up in a landfill.
Wrap it Up
Regardless of why or where you buy a tree, let’s talk about why you should recycle it. For starters, a 2007 NCTA survey reveals that almost 93 percent of consumers who use a farm-grown Christmas tree already recycle their trees in community programs, so why be in the minority?
In addition, recycled Christmas trees have many environmental purposes once you’ve dropped them off at an authorized recycler. The trees usually get processed in one of two ways: chipping or re-purposing.
Method #1: Chipping
Most community recycling programs rely on chipping, as this method tends to be simple, cost-efficient and the chips can be used in a variety of ways. For example, raw chips can be used as:
- Landscaping and path cover for parks, school campuses and private residences
- Ground cover in orchards and Christmas tree farms
- Weed control around the bases of utility poles
- Cover for playground areas
- Landfill daily cover
- Partial composting into mulch
Method #2: Using the Whole Tree
Whole Christmas trees can also be a valuable contribution to environmental programs that restore habitats such as:
- Dune & Coastal Restoration
- Rebuilding Wetlands
- Wildlife Habitats
- Fishing Spots
By comparison, the only benefit to trashing your tree is that you’ll give a temporary pine fresh smell to a landfill.
To find the nearest Christmas tree recycling program in your area, use Earth911′s recycling location search.
As of June 17th 2011 we have upgraded our comment system to use Facebook comments.
The below comments are closed and are listed for historical purposes.
catkin
posted on November 19th, 2007 at 5:02 pm
I agree that real Christmas trees are the best way to go! I for one plan on buying my REAL Christmas tree online this year from a company I found called http://www.premiumchristmastree.com.
I will then be using the earth911.com’s zipcode recycling program finder for my area.
jimmi414
posted on November 20th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
I believe people also need to think about there energy consumption during the holiday season. Check out http://www.nochristmaslights.com – and get the word out to turn off all those holiday lights!
eucarya
posted on November 28th, 2007 at 11:59 am
Wouldn’t the best thing for the environment be NOT purchasing a tree at all, artificial or otherwise?
3 seedlings can’t offset the oxygen production/carbon digestion of a full size tree.
I think there are other questions regarding this issue which also haven’t been addressed: how are these trees grown, what sorts of chemical fertilizers are used in their production.
How much fuel does it take to transport these trees, what sorts of methods are used for cutting them down and trimming them and what effects do they have on the environment. The United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates that a 2-cycle gasoline-powered lawnmower pollutes as much in one hour as 40 new model cars. 2-cycle gasoline engines are used in chainsaws that are commonly used to cut down trees.
I think the best thing for this holiday season would be for all of us to question our consumption.
Jordan
posted on November 19th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
I came here looking for the place to recycle my tree when I’m done. I was led from a link from another article that told me I could find the recycle location here. I was led to that article from another telling me I could find the recycle location from THAT link.
Just like every other article I’ve been led to, this one just keeps telling me to find the place to recycle on the site. WHY don’t any of the links actually lead to a place where I can search for a recycling site? I can’t believe I’ve just wasted 20 minutes of my time (and computer energy to boot) in a fruitless search. I have the patience for one more link. So make it good.
Raquel Fagan
posted on November 20th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Sorry for your frustrated search! You can search for any product, at any time, by simply typing in the product and your zip at the top of any of these pages. See that green box that says ‘Start Recycling’ – that is our recycling locator. I’ve done one for you, but since I’m not sure where you live, you can enter your location and get more specific information for your area once you following the link…I promise, the last link in your search!!
arthur darken
posted on December 29th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
T=Yeh. I’d like to know recycling options in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois. Thanks for whatever. Arthur
Julie Burson
posted on January 5th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
I am just wondering how to get a program going in my area for treecycling? There is nowhere remotely close to me that has a program. I’d like to get one started in my town.
Thanks!
Shanteze
posted on January 5th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
How can i have my live flocked christmas tree picked up?
Only Knitting Yarn » Blog Archive » Have Yourself A Green Little Christmas!
posted on March 12th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
[...] to toss it to the curb when you’re done? You can find a local tree recycling facility using Earth 911, or recycle it yourself by turning it into mulch or firewood. Still not comfortable chopping down a [...]