If you had a real tree this year for Christmas, one of the best things you can do for the environment is to recycle your tree. Almost every community has a program these days of some sort where you can “donate” your tree for mulch. Some of the programs are sponsored and carried out by the Parks & Recreation Departments while others are taken care of through the cities Sanitation or Recycle Departments. Go online to your local government website and see if they have such a program.

If not, another place that sometimes takes trees this time of year is your local nurseries, if they are set up to create mulch. You will want to call ahead of time and make sure they can take your tree so you don’t waste a trip or the gas. Next year you may want to think about getting a live tree that you can plant after the holidays so you can “recycle” the tree into your landscaping. It all makes for a wonderful holiday season as well as an environmentally sound one.