credit flickr: jeremy.britton
It’s about that time of the year when I come to realize, regretfully, that it’s time to take down the Christmas tree. I think the water in the Christmas tree actually clued me in this year when it started to smell. Yuck! Anyway, time to get it out of here. Luckily, we know a guy who owns a wood chipper (don’t be scared), so we’re just going to take it there to mulch-ify our last bit of holiday cheer.
But what about all of those unlucky people who don’t know a guy with a wood chipper? For those in Morristown and Morris Township, simply put your tree out on your curb and the town will come and pick it up. I know some people like to keep things neat n’ tidy by putting their tree in a bag to carry it outside, but I’d advise against this. If you simply cannot vacuum or use a broom to pick up the extra pine needles that fall when you carry your tree outside, then use the bag and take the tree out of it when it gets outside. It messes up the recycling system if you keep your tree in the bag, plus I don’t know about you, but the last thing I need to be spending my money on these days is a trash bag for a tree. If you do use a bag, you can recycle it at Staples, which is handy…but in my opinion, the easiest solution is to just take it outside willy-nilly. There, I said it three times.
For those who live outside Morristown or Morris Township, call up your local municipality and say “Yes, I’m calling to see if you have a curbside Christmas tree pick-up.” Then say, “That’s grand, do you chip the trees after you collect them?” (No excuses, I just practically called for you.) You can also check out some Morris County recycling depots here at the Morris County Municipal Utility Authority. And if that fails, the recycling gurus at Earth911.com have a list of local places that will recycle the trees.
Then sit back and soak in the sweet smell of mulch. It’s got to be better than my tree water.
