Bring One for the Chipper

​As we near the end of the holiday season, many people are ready to take down their ornaments and get rid of their tree. But wait! Before you toss that dying fir out with the garbage, have you considered recycling it? 

​Bring One for the Chipper is a nation-wide movement to recycle as many Christmas trees as possible. 

​Why should you recycle your Christmas tree? 

​Throughout the month of January, landfills are often overwhelmed with the number of Christmas trees they receive. As you can probably imagine, depending on the size and health of the tree at the time of disposal, those babies can take up a lot of room. Bring One for the Chipper’s mission is to reduce the number of trees that end up in our landfills, and help out the environment along the way!

What happens to recycled Christmas trees?

​Like the name suggests, most trees in the Bring One for the Chipper program go through a woodchipper. This generates mulch that can then be donated to places like public parks, public and private playgrounds, city scaping projects, and even individual yards.

​In some locations, a few trees will be saved from chipping to instead be sunk into local lakes. This creates new habitats for fish and other marine life to flourish!

​How can you recycle your Christmas tree?

Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful (KACCB) is partnering once again with Bring One for the Chipper to make recycling your Christmas tree easier than ever. This year, the event kicks off at 9am on Saturday, January 3rd. From 9am until 1pm, you can bring your undecorated tree to one of these drop-off locations:

• Clarke Middle School at 1235 Baxter Street
• CHaRM (Center for Hard to Recycle Materials) at 1005 College Avenue

In return, you’ll receive a free tree seedling to plant (while supplies last)! Be sure to remove all ornaments, Christmas lights, and any other decorations from your tree before you bring it for chipping. This year, you can also drop off Christmas lights, wreaths, cardboard, Styrofoam, and even plastic bags to be recycled as well!

​What if you can’t make it January 3rd?

Of course, if January 3rd isn’t a good day for you, never fear. Through January 15th, trees can be dropped off at:

• CHaRM (Center for Hard to Recycle Materials) at 1005 College Avenue
• GA Square Mall (3700 Atlanta Highway. JCPenny Lot)
• The ACC Tag Office (3025 Lexington Highway)

Outside these times, live and undecorated trees can either be taken to the ACC Landfill, or recycled with your regular leaf and limb pickup. Check out the ACC Leaf and Limb website to find out which zone you’re in and when you can expect pickups. 

​What if you have an artificial tree? 

​Unfortunately, most recycling plants won’t accept artificial trees, as the materials they’re made of (like polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene) aren’t easily recyclable. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have options! 

​Donate

​If your tree is still in usable condition, it can be donated. Donation centers, churches, charities, schools, and libraries are great locations to check out. 

​“Usable condition” means that the tree can stand upright, the branches are still weight-bearing for ornaments, and it’s not completely bald on all sides. Many defects are surmountable: A few broken branches can easily be disguised, and a broken stand can be remade. Dead pre-strung lights can be removed and new lights can be added, and even a few missing branches aren’t a deal-breaker, as trees can be positioned with unsightly sections against the wall. What might not work in your home could still be a festive, heart-warming decoration for someone in need.

​Reuse

If your tree isn’t in usable condition, that doesn’t mean its life as a Christmas decoration is over. Tree branches can be snipped off and woven together into garlands and wreaths. If you build a little stand for it, the very top section can be used as a mini tree for your porch or kid’s bedroom! 

Even if you have no use for garland, wreaths, or mini trees, someone else might. Check with your friends, family, and local Facebook craft communities to see if anyone is interested in the material – you might even be able to make some money back that way! Or, if you’re willing to put in the work to cut the branches off and bag them, they can be donated as craft supplies to a donation center, library, or school.

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Author

Emily Casuccio is sister and sister-in-law to Rebekah and Scott Rushing, and has worked with Classic City Arborists for the last 5 years. In addition to handling administrative tasks and customer communication (she’s the voice you’ll hear on the phone!), Emily is an experienced copywriter, editor, and storyboard consultant. To learn more about her, read samples of her work, or contact her, visit her online portfolio.

Sources:
Athens-Clarke County Unified Government
Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation