Disposing of your Christmas tree: How to become "tree-free
Of the well over 20 million fir trees that are set up as Christmas trees in German living rooms each year, only about 10% can be replanted (because they were sold with roots). The rest must be disposed of. What to do with all these trees? Fortunately, there are numerous sensible ways to get rid of a fir tree – even with added benefits for humans or animals. Simply leaving the tree to the municipal waste disposal company is therefore by no means the only option. Do you want to dispose of your Christmas tree? We'll show you what options you have.
One in three trees doesn't make it to the new year
31 percent of all Christmas trees in Germany leave the apartment during the holidays or "between the years" – this is proven by the Christmas Special of the Statista Global Consumer Survey. Approximately 12 percent follow on January 1st, another 25 percent on
January 6th (Epiphany). The remaining trees stay up longer. The main reason for this, however, is not that the respective tree owners want to enjoy the shedding tree longer, but that the municipal collection dates are later.
Disposing of your Christmas tree with a collection service – the easiest way
If you want to dispose of your fir tree without any hassle, you should consult your city's waste calendar: Many municipalities offer a free collection service on certain days. On these dates, the trees only need to be placed at the roadside, of course fully undecorated and without plastic wrapping or netting. If you miss the collection date for your district, you will have to transport the tree yourself and take it to a collection point. Whether and where there are collection points for Christmas trees in your city can be found in the waste calendar. In some places, you can also dispose of fir trees in the organic waste bin; however, Christmas tree disposal in the organic waste bin must then be explicitly permitted.
Further options for complete disposal
If there are no municipal collection points in your local area, you can also drop off the complete tree elsewhere:
Green waste collection point
Green waste collection points at recycling centers and recycling yards accept fir trees free of charge.
Zoo
Many zoos are grateful for fir trees; they use them, for example, as animal feed for elephants. However, they only accept untreated organic Christmas trees – and the demand is quickly met after Christmas. So always ask beforehand before arriving with a tree in your trunk!
Disposing of your fir tree with added benefits: Here's how!
If you don't just want to dispose of your old fir tree, but want to make good use of it, you also have several options.
Composting
Compost heap in the garden? Great. Firs are good for composting. However, the branches should be cut off (the individual branches will then better aerate the compost), and the trunk should be shredded. But be careful: Trees grown industrially on plantations are often contaminated with insecticides and can "poison" the compost. If you plan to later add the fir tree to your home garden compost, you should opt for an organic Christmas tree when buying a tree.
Use as firewood
If you have a fireplace, you can dispose of your Christmas tree there and ensure a few cozy evenings with a crackling fire. However, this requires a little patience – because immediately after Christmas, the tree is still far too fresh to burn well. The (chopped) wood must first be stored for quite some time to dry out; burning the fir tree makes sense at the earliest around Christmas time next year.
Use as carving and craft wood
Crafters and DIY enthusiasts can build great things from their fir trees after Christmas, as the wood is good for processing and carving. Compared to oak wood, for example, it is almost buttery soft. How about, for instance, a homemade coat rack made of fir wood? Peeling, sanding, and possibly varnishing are then part of the construction.
Disposing of green waste? Nothing could be easier!
If you have chosen a Keinachtsbaum®, all you have to do after Christmas is dispose of green waste – and that is a truly easy task. Conifer branches, for example, provide excellent frost protection for flower beds and window boxes. They can also serve as a natural snail repellent fence – their needles prevent snails from plundering vegetable beds. In general, Christmas tree needles are more than just prickly tree trimmings: Healthy tea infusions, for instance, can be made from pine and spruce needles. To do this, the needles must be finely chopped and poured over with hot water through a sieve. The resulting tea is intensely aromatic and sweat-inducing due to the essential oils – ideal for the cold season!
Incidentally, the same disposal options apply to green waste as to whole trees (green waste collection point, organic waste bin, compost heap, etc.).
Disposing of your Christmas tree the wrong way – please don't!
Unfortunately, far too many Christmas trees are still disposed of incorrectly. A Christmas tree, for example, has no place in bulky waste – not even, or especially not, if it is still strung with lights (which are conveniently supposed to be disposed of in this way). A fir tree will not be taken by waste disposal companies on bulky waste day; the owner risks a fine. Also subject to a fine is placing a Christmas tree in the forest. On the one hand, the tree gets in the way during forestry work and disrupts operations, and on the other hand, it may endanger forest floor health (if it has been treated with chemicals).