Go green: New uses for old Christmas trees

With the beauty of a live Christmas tree comes the hassle of getting rid of it.

Fortunately, there are some environmentally friendly ways to consider.

Keep the Midlands Beautiful is offering its annual Grinding of the Greens program, where natural trees are turned into mulch and given to the public. Trees can be dropped off through Thursday, Jan. 7, with the mulch giveaway set for Saturday, Jan. 9.

About 2,000 trees are ground for mulch at two locations – Seven Oaks Park and the S.C. State Farmers Market – where the free mulch is given away.

“It seems to grow, because I think a lot of people like the live trees, and they’re now more aware of what you can do with them,” Lauren Robinson, environmental assistant with Keep the Midlands Beautiful, said of Grinding of the Greens, which has been around for more than 15 years.

“The less we put in the landfills,” she added, “the better off the environment is.”

For those who don’t want to see their trees ground into wood chips, the National Christmas Tree Association has a list of other post-Christmas uses.

If you have a private pond, for example, sink a tree to create a refuge and feeding area for fish. Or create a garden or backyard bird feeder with the whole tree, or large branches from it. Add fresh orange slices and strands of popcorn. After many months, when branches become brittle, break the tree apart or chip it.

The association also suggests creating ornaments for next year’s tree from thin slices of trunk that can be painted or decorated and strung with ribbon.

For those with artificial trees, Keep the Midlands Beautiful has teamed up with CMC Recycling. Folks can drop artificial trees at the company’s Cayce and Lexington locations. A Recycling Center, on Fontaine Road, also takes artificial trees.