by Ronnee Ruselle

Ever wonder what you were going to do with another tree? How about the piles of Christmas cards that gather up each year or excess food? Well here are some helpful ideas for getting rid of them and helping the environment, your community and yourself.

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 hang 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.
• 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.
• Packaging, bubblewrap and foam fillers can be re-used when re-packing or posting items.
• Used christmas wrapping paper can be used in place of newspaper when wrapping your decorations and putting them away for next year.
• Donate cards, wrap, washed aluminium containers, bottle caps and more 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 or cut the back off the card and only donate the front cover.
• Aluminium recycling plants will pay you for your aluminium cans and other aluminium. Send your leftover Aluminium to them instead of the junkyard and make a little bit of cash and while you're at it, ask the neighbours to throw in their leftover aluminium from Christmas.
• 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.
• Bottles and jars from Christmas foods can be re-used. Wash and boiled, they're fresh for refilling.
  
  Wine bottles are great to refill with a nice sauce or used if you're a home wine or beer maker. These make excellent gifts for other people or just stored away for yourself. Jars can be used in basically the same way, as food storage or alternatively for creating your nic-nacs such as buttons and crafty bits and pieces. Helps maintain order and makes it easier to locate them when you need them next.

Christmas Food

Every year millions of dollars of food is simply thrown away in the bin and goes to landfill. Careful planning can see this food used and much of it can save you money. Here are some ideas for what to do with the excess food you have leftover from Christmas.

• Don't leave the food sitting on the table for hours. Put it away in refrigeration and sealed containers as soon as possible after meal time.
• Excess turkey and meats can be turned into soups or sliced up and these can then be frozen in portions for future meals. This is a great idea for taking a quick pre-prepared lunch with you to work. If you like gravy, you can pour some into the container with the meat and freeze this. It makes a wonderful instant meal when added to vegetables and saves a ton of time. Simply reheat and eat.
• Desserts and puddings can be made into wonderful desserts. The site www.lovefoodhatewaste has some great recipe ideas for recycling your Christmas food, such as Christmas Pudding Strudel.
• Many people throw away sweets and chocolates with the intention of eating healthy after Christmas, but then when they get a craving for a treat, have to buy more, so instead of throwing them away, carefully store them to last you for the next month or so. Also many of them can be used in recipes that can provide great morning tea treats for workmates or for guests not to mention lovely desserts.

How wonderful it will feel to know that these Christmas items will not be wasted at the local dump.