Tip of the Week

Recycle Your Tree

A lot of what I like about Christmas is in the preparations. I like going as a family to buy the tree and decorating it on Christmas Eve, debating each year whether to hang every ornament we own, broken or not, or to leave the tree more spare. In contrast, undecorating the tree is always depressing. I inevitably have that duty all to myself, though I leave the dragging of the tree out of the apartment, into the elevator and out to the curb to either my husband or the boys. It therefore brought me some solace to learn that the NYC Department of Sanitation picks up all Christmas trees left on the curb during a 10-day period in January and composts them. After they are collected, the trees are chipped, mixed with fall leaves and recycled into rich compost for New York City's parks and community gardens.

To find out if your community has a Christmas tree recycling program, contact your local parks and recreation department, public works department, the local office which handles recycling (often at the department of sanitation) or the mayor's office. You can also access local Christmas tree recycling information by entering your zip code at the National Christmas Tree Association web site or by contacting the organization Earth 911 (800/CLEANUP, www.earth911.org).

© The Green Guide, 2008

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