Looking for a way to dispose of your Christmas tree now that the holidays are over? Many towns and counties will collect the trees if left in front of your house; check with your local municipality to find out if there are specific restrictions or pickup times. Generally, trees collected by municipalities are chipped and then used as mulch where needed. For those of you who do not have access to curbside pickup, you may be able to drop off your tree at a specific location – Ocean County Parks is collecting Christmas trees through January 31st to be chipped and mulched for use throughout the parks. Read on for more ideas on how to dispose of or recycle your tree!
If you live in Basking Ridge, you can help out the Ridge Girls basketball team and Bernards Township parks by donating $15 to have your tree picked up at the curb on January 10th. Money will go towards the basketball team, and the trees will be mulched and used to help maintain local trails. You can find more information about this program here.
For a unique way to repurpose your trees, donate them to animals! The Funny Farm Rescue Animal Sanctuary in Mays Landing is accepting donations; you can drop your tree off at their farm directly. The goats on the farm love playing with the trees, and will eat them as a treat! Please note that you should not bring your tree if it has green residue on the trunk. This may be a fire retardant that makes the goats sick if ingested.
The Cape May Zoo is also accepting your donated Christmas trees. The trees are used as food for goats and giraffes, and big cats enjoy playing with them! Trees can be dropped off at the zoo until January 11th. For any type of tree donation or pickup, trees should be free of any lights, tinsel, or decorations.
If you are looking for something a little closer to home and have space, you may be able to repurpose the tree in your own backyard! You can turn it into a bird feeder by placing suet, popcorn strings, or hanging feeders on the tree. You could also lay it down in a corner of the yard to provide places to hide and live for wildlife. Trees can also become indoor or outdoor decorations – lining a garden with logs, or hanging branches around the house. For a festive scent year-round, you can save the pine needles and use them as potpourri, or hang in sachets. And if you have a compost pile, a few small branches without needles can provide great nutrients for your compost.
We hope this helps you to find a unique second use for your tree!