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7 Ways to Recycle Your Christmas Tree
What to Do with a Cut Tree
When the holidays are over, don’t throw away your Christmas tree! There are many creative ways to reuse it.
- Make mulch: Shred the tree and use it to cover the soil around your plants. This will help keep the soil moist and suppress weeds.
- Use as a frame for climbers: Plant the bare tree in your garden and let climbing plants, like sweet peas, grow over it.
- Create a wildlife shelter: Trim the branches and tie them into bundles. Hang them in bushes for bugs to hide in. Or, chop the trunk into pieces and stack them to create a mini refuge for small animals.
- Use as insulation: Chop large branches and lay them over tender plants to protect them from frost.
- Give it to your local council or nature reserve: Many councils collect Christmas trees and chip them to make compost or mulch. You can also donate your tree to a nature reserve, where it may be used to stabilize sand dunes.
What to Do with a Potted Tree
Most Christmas trees sold in pots can be kept alive if they are kept cool. You can plant it in your garden after Christmas, or repot it into a larger pot until next year.
Other Ways to Recycle Christmas
- Natural decorations: Hang out holly and other greenery for birds to eat. Stuff foliage inside a flower pot for bees and other insects to nest in.
- Peelings and leftovers: Compost raw vegetable and fruit peels. Use leftover fat or oil to make high-energy bird food.
