Looking for a more eco-friendly way to dispose of your Christmas tree? Here are some tips

Erica Van Buren, Augusta Chronicle
·3 min read

Now that the Christmas holiday has come and gone, for families that purchased a live Christmas tree there are a number of options to properly dispose of your tree in a more eco-friendly way.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will accept real Christmas trees for recycling as fish habitat at J. Strom Thurmond Lake through Jan. 14. Artificial trees will not be accepted.

All decorations, tinsel, lights, garland, bulbs, etc., must be removed from the trees before dropping them off. Dumping of wireframe wreaths, yard debris, artificial trees and household trash at the sites is prohibited.

Real trees may be dropped off at the following locations:

Georgia

  • Amity Day Use Area, boat ramp area

  • Keg Creek Boat Ramp

South Carolina

  • Primary location with sign: Below Dam Day Use Park

  • Dorn Boat Ramp, boat ramp area

  • Parksville Day Use Area, boat ramp area

Habitat for aquatic wildlife

Trees will be tied in bundles, weighted with concrete anchors, and submerged in various locations marked with fish attractor buoys by corps personnel. This creates shelter and food for bait fish, which attracts crappie, bass, and sunfish species. Ultimately, the recycled trees benefit the fish as well as the angler.

Anglers can pick up recycled trees to create habitats at a location of their choosing. Christmas trees should be anchored with concrete blocks at depths of 15 to 20 feet).

For more information contact conservation biologist Evan Brashier at 864-333-1159 or evan.g.brashier@usace.army.mil.

For a map of submerged fish attractor locations at Thurmond, visit Fish Attractor Map at www.sas.usace.army.mil/Portals/61/docs/lakes/thurmond/fa_deep%20water%20fish%20attractors.pdf.

Barnyard Buddies

Barnyard Buddies, a year-round mobile petting farm located in Grovetown at 4856 Columbia Rd. welcomes Christmas trees after the holiday.

“The goats love them,” said Barnyard Buddies owner Jeanette Norris. “They help prevent worms and offer additional nutritional benefits as well. One year we had a Christmas tree farm bring us their leftovers. We had about 70 trees. They went through all those trees in a few months.”

Norris has about 25 goats on her property and they can eat several trees a day.

“We have a few goats that are pregnant and ready to have babies as early as next week,” she said. "If I have extra trees I notify other farmers that I know have goats."

For more details, contact Barnyard Buddies by calling 706-508-4628 or by email at georgiafarmstead@yahoo.com.

Kick it to the curb

For Augusta residents looking for a no muss, no fuss option you can place your tree on the curb. Augusta Solid Waste offers Christmas tree pick up and recycling starting at 6 a.m. on your collection day during the first two full weeks in January. Make sure all tinsel, lights, decorations, tree stands and plastic bags are removed prior to collection.

Residents just need to fill out the following form at www.augustaga.gov/2325/Waste-Wizard#!rc-cpage=96208.

The city of North Augusta is planning on running a tree-cycle program. A city officials information should be available this week via the city's website and Facebook page.

Six Crafty DIY Recycling Projects

Garden Therapy recommends going the do-it-yourself route, as a live Christmas tree can be used in a variety ways. For example:

  • Branch coat rack

  • Wooden ornaments

  • Twig Wreath

  • Twig flower pots

  • Wall art

  • Branch chandelier

For more information, visit https://gardentherapy.ca/recycling-christmas-tree/.

Make a birdfeeder

Dumpster Depot recommends people make bird feeders with their Christmas trees. Simply make sure the tree is free of hooks and other decorations, place your tree in the backyard and decorate it with fresh fruit or strung popcorn. The food will attract birds, and it makes a great place for them to sit.

Christmas lights

Recycle them at hardware stores. Most hardware stores will accept Christmas lights and recycle them responsibly. Reach out to your local store for drop-off locations and availability.

This reporting content is supported by a partnership with several funders and Journalism Funding Funding Partners.

Erica Van Buren is the climate change reporter for The Augusta Chronicle, part of the USA TODAY Network. Connect with her at EVanBuren@gannett.com or on Twitter: @EricaVanBuren32.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Here are some environmentally sound ways to dispose of Christmas trees