Christmas trees are a traditional and wonderful part of this season’s celebration, first recorded in Latvia in 1510. In the United States, more than 50 million trees are sold each Christmas. Christmas trees should NEVER be placed in a dumpster, trash, or landfill.
In Lebanon, Christmas trees can be brought to the Solid Waste Facility located on 12A in West Lebanon. The trees are chipped up and composted on site. When bringing your tree to the Lebanon Solid Waste Facility, be sure to take all lights off the tree and remove all decorations including tinsel. Also, be sure to remove the tree stand/base before dropping it off. If you are bagging the tree for transport, please remove the bag OR use a compostable bag. Following these simple guidelines ensures the tree can be recycled.
Other Christmas tree tips include the following:
- Buy a real, cut tree from a sustainable source. Go local if available.
- Avoid trees sprayed with chemical preservatives to protect indoor air quality.
- Choose a live, potted tree with its roots still attached from an ecologically sustainable source and plant it in your yard after Christmas. If planting a live tree after the holidays, dig your hole for the tree before the ground freezes. Fill the hole with leaves and cover it. Then after the holidays, you simply rake out the leaves and place the balled tree into the hole. Backfill it with compost. It will do fine until the springtime when you can add water and any other necessary soil amendments.
- Avoid artificial trees that are made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particularly toxic plastic, and these trees are typically not recyclable.
- There are many tree alternatives available. DIY projects abound on the internet as do other possibilities.
- The National Christmas Tree Association has many other ideas as well. Check out their website for more ideas.
Share Your Ideas
What are you going to do with your tree? Have you ever used yours as a winter habitat for birds? Do you bring yours to the Lebanon Solid Waste Facility? Maybe you simply drag it out to the “back 40". Share some of your ideas and family traditions with your neighbors. Please do your part to reduce holiday waste this season.