Recycling after Christmas
by Jared Bamford
Ever wonder what you were going to do with another tree? How about the piles of Christmas cards that gather up each year? Well here are some helpful ideas for getting rid of them and helping the environment or your community.
Live Christmas Trees
- Live Christmas Trees - Recycling a live-cut tree benefits the environment and increases wildlife habitat. Many cities and municipalities have special collection days where they gather Christmas trees and put them through shredders, chopping them up into mulch. The mulch is then used on the flower beds in parks and in forests to help create habitat for wildlife. Check with your local government department to see if they have a service where they can recycle your used tree.
- Placing your tree in the garden or backyard will provide winter shelter for small birds. You could hand special treats for the birds off the tree such as peanut butter on seed cones or seed bells that you purchase from the store. Ensure that any food you leave for them is something they eat naturally and is healthy for them and please make sure that you remove all tinsel and decorations so the birds don't get sick from trying to eat them.
- A Christmas tree is biodegradable. Its branches and needles make a good mulch in the garden, especially for plants like rhododendrons which like an acid soil. Many cities and municipalities gather Christmas trees on special collection days and put them through shredders which chop them up into small pieces. The resulting mulch is then used in the summer on the flower beds in city parks.
- The foliage from a fir tree can be snipped into small pieces to create an aromatic stuffing for needle pillows. Some people use them in bedrooms or living rooms whereas others use them to give clothes and blankets a fresh touch.
- Large quantities of used trees can be used as a sand or soil erosion barrier.
- Getting together with your neighbours and stacking your old trees together in a forest will provide shelter for rabbits and other small animals. You can also sink a used tree in a pond to provide a refuge and feeding area for the amphibious inhabitants.
- Donate your used tree to any local woodworking enthusiasts. They could make a range of items that could possibly be donated to a good cause or if you're so inclined, make something with it yourself.
Christmas Cards & Paper
- Christmas card and envelope recycling - Planet Ark works to show people the many ways they can reduce their day to day impact on the environment - at home, at work and in the community. If Planet Ark runs in your country, you can place your used Christmas cards in one of their bins to be recycled into into the SAFE brand of toilet tissue or cardboard packaging preventing it from going into landfill.
- Donate the cards and wrap to your local school or childcare centre - often these organisations are looking for such things to provide fun and education for the children that attend there. Call up your local schools and childcares and see if your old cards may be of use to them. If you're concerned about privacy, black out the writing with a thick, black texta.
- Crafty Suggestions - If you're a person who loves doing craft, you could use your Christmas cards to make a variety of things. These are fabulous projects to do with the kids in the weeks leading up to the next Christmas.
- Bookmarks - using some cardboard and gluing some nice images onto it from your cards is an effective gift. Punch a hole in the top of it and tie some ribbon on, add glitter and a few other nice touches and it will be beautiful. You could write a special message and either cover it in clear contact or laminate it for a long lasting thoughtful gift or just for your own use.
- Christmas Cards - Create a new card by using construction paper and gluing some of the images cut from an old christmas card. If you have two cards, then you can create a 3-D effect. Just cut out two images the same. Glue one onto the card and then cut out parts of the second image that are to appear further away. Then with a small piece of double-sided tape, stick the second image on top of the first in exactly the same spot. You'll be amazed how wonderful it looks.
- Tree Decorations - Cut out two card images in a circle then cut out a piece of felt in a slightly larger circle. Take a thin piece of ribbon for the hanger and glue the two ends of it to either side of the felt. Then take the card images and glue them onto either side of the felt. It's a good idea to use the images to cover up the felt if it needs to look tidier. You can then decorate the edges of the felt with glitter, diamantes or something else that sparkles - or leave it plain for an old fashioned feeling.
- Decoupage Box - If one of the kids wants his/her own special box for something, you could help them decorate the box with the cut images from used Christmas Cards. This is also a great way to present a gift that needs to be boxed or a range of smaller items put together.
How wonderful it will feel to know that these Christmas accessories will not be wasted at the local dump.