Happy New Year, Richland Countians!
As the twelve days of Christmas wind down, you may be thinking about how to dispose of holiday greenery. If you purchased a living Christmas tree this year and now need to know how to recycle it, we have some suggestions. First, note that the tree cannot be recycled if it’s in your regular trash. If you dispose of it this way, it will either not be picked up or it will go to the landfill. In Ohio, yard waste has been banned from landfills, so live Christmas trees should not be placed with household garbage.
To recycle the tree, you should first remove all decorations and tinsel. Now you’re ready to consider your options:
Compost: If you want to know whether you can put out your tree for pickup as yard waste that will be turned into compost, you should contact your trash removal service directly. If they do accept trees, they will also advise you whether there are any additional instructions such as using a paper yard waste bag or cutting taller trees in half. Additionally, some municipalities may pick up the tree from the curbside, so check with them.
Christmas trees are also accepted for composting at the Richland County Compost facility (441 Cairns Road, Mansfield) from January 3 to January 10, 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM (closed for lunch from 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM). Be sure to remove all lights, ornaments, and decorations from the tree before bringing it to the facility. No plastic or artificial trees.
Repurpose It: If you’re looking for an option to reuse the tree, the Richland County Soil and Water Conservation District recommends simply placing it on its side in your yard. Doing so will offer shelter from the cold for some animals, and they also suggest hanging food off of the tree to feed wildlife and birds. (This has the added bonus of providing you with free entertainment.) Generally, “appropriate food” would include bird seed/suet and dried fruit, but will depend on the wildlife you want to feed; there are many online resources that you can seek out to help you if you choose to go this route.
