Don’t let that old Christmas tree go to waste in some landfill: Recycle it!

After Christmas, many a Christmas tree has been dragged out to the curb to wait an undignified burial in a nearby landfill. A lot of people just don’t realize what a shame it is to waste a perfectly good recyclable product. There are several uses a good Christmas tree can be put to.

Like any item you plan to recycle, the tree must be clean. Remove and store ornaments and other decorations and pick off tinsel and light strands.

Your tree can be recycled by any of the following methods:

Use it as a fish habitat — Anchor it in a large coffee can with concrete and put it into a pond or lake. The concrete weights the tree down with it standing upright on the bottom. These trees are natural fish attractors for Bream and Bass. They offer a safe haven for young fish.

Chip it and use the chips for mulch — If you have a chipper — shredder, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the size of tree you have.

Use it as a wildlife habitat — Prune some of the branches and use them as mulch instead of pine needles around flowerbeds and shrubs. The trunk with the remaining limbs can be used as a bird nesting station near feeders or birdbaths. I use a cedar trunk with limbs as a perch in my chicken coop. Hang suet feed- ers or birdseed feeders from the branches. Increase thicket areas with your tree. Cardinals especially like thicket areas, and by adding to those areas, you may attract more of them and other birds.

For sidebar or if you go kind of thing

Recycle Your Tree — That is the Key!

Keep Polk Beautiful will be having a Christmas tree recycling event. They also will be giving away seedlings and have other activities. Date: Saturday, January 6 Time: 9 AM — 1 PM Location: Polk-Haralson Christian Life Center in the Antioch community

For more information, contact Keep Polk Beautiful at (678) 2461083.