Check out 9 things you can do with your unwanted Christmas tree here.
1. Bird house or bird feeder
Your unwanted Christmas tree is useful to birds in more ways than one: you can use the tree to build a bird house or a bird feeder. Use the largest pieces of wood to build a bird house to put in a tree in your garden, or make a bird feeder with suet. Birds love suet, especially just after Christmas when the weather is cold and their food sources are limited. Drill out the trunk to create an effective bird feeder!
2. Garden wood chippings
You can use your unwanted Christmas tree to improve your garden in many different ways. You can use a wood chipper to create wood chippings for your garden to brighten up any garden beds or features you have. You could also consider creating garden pathway edges with the leftover wood.
3. Mulch
Your Christmas tree can do wonders for your garden; you can use the old needles to make mulch for your garden, and you can compost the branches. Mulch is great for your garden as it improves the fertility of your soil, reduces weed growth and it conserves moisture. Many companies will be happy to mulch your tree for a small fee.
4. Cat tree
You can reuse the wood from your Christmas tree to build a cat tree for your cat. Trim away the branches and use only large branches. This is a great idea as your cat was probably already using your Christmas Tree as a cat tree!
5. Fish habitat
You can use your unwanted Christmas tree to create a beautiful habitat for your fish. In the wild, many branches fall into ponds and lakes, offering protection to the fish in the water. You can put the smaller branches into the tank to give your fish a place to hide and relax. Make sure the branches are fully clean before you put them in the tank.
6. Pathway edgers and garden bridges
If you have the spare time you can use your unwanted Christmas tree to totally transform your garden. Think big; you could build a small bridge to cross a pond, or a garden bench for you and your family during the summer. You could also use the wood for trellising and staking your garden.
7. Firewood
After a month of drying out in your home your Christmas tree is extremely flammable, as they have very little moisture left in them to help supress flames. Use this to your advantage by cutting your Christmas tree down into firewood for your fireplace – or you could even have a bonfire in your back garden!
8. Dune restoration
You may not have considered this, but it is a great idea if you live near the beach. You can use your unwanted Christmas tree as a dune restoration tree. Trees are often used on the beach to trap sand to rebuild damaged dunes and banks. This is a helpful and useful way to reuse your Christmas tree!
9. Recycle it!
It is much better to recycle your old tree, rather than throw it away. Many places have a Christmas tree pick-up day, so contact your waste and recycling companies to see if they offer a day. If not you can take your old tree to the local recycling point. Remember to remove all of the decorations before you recycle your Christmas tree!
