Fish will live in it, goats will eat it: Here's what you can do with your Christmas tree
Hundreds of families across the Augusta-area celebrated the holidays this year with a live Christmas tree, but now that the holidays are over, they need to find something to do with it. There are a variety of ways to recycle Christmas trees in a safe and environmentally friendly manner.
Give it to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Forest, Fish and Wildlife Section at Thurmond Lake is collecting Christmas trees for boaters and anglers to recycle as fish habitats until Jan. 16. The drop-off locations are in Clarks Hill, S.C., at Below Dam Day Use Park (coordinates 33.658390, -82.195938) or at the boat ramps:
Georgia – Amity Day Use Area, Chamberlain Ferry Ramp and Keg Creek Boat Ramp
South Carolina – Dorn Boat Ramp, Parksville Day Use Area
Evan Brashier, conservation biologist, said the Corps doesn't make the fish habitats itself anymore, but collects them for boaters willing to drop them off in the lake and create fisheries habitats at a location of their choosing.
“It will attract smaller fish species, which will attract bigger fish species,” he said. Brashier said the trees provide cover and shelter for the smaller fish species, as well as food. He asked people to make sure they take everything off the tree before dropping them off at the locations.
Augusta Chronicle columnist and Richmond County UGA Extension Agent Campbell Vaughn has written about the ins-and-outs of making a Christmas tree fish habitat. His biggest tip is to sink several trees together.
"Christmas trees are very dense, so cut some of the limbs out in the middle and make some cavities for larger fish to penetrate … and nail a few 20 penny nails halfway in the trunk to act like rebar," he wrote.
For many years, Riverside Middle School served as a drop-off location but Brashier said it no longer does. Discarded trees are no longer welcome there.
Feed it to the goats
Off Columbia Road in Grovetown, Jeanette Norris has a farm full of animals, including chickens, turkeys, pigs and more importantly goats. Every year, Norris accepts Christmas tree donations to feed her goats at Barnyard Buddies.
“We ask people to donate their Christmas trees because they are very nutritious for goats,” Norris said. “They have certain nutritional benefits and they help to prevent worms in the goats. Besides that, they just love to eat (the trees).”
Norris has about 40 goats on her property and they eat several trees a day. She has received donations from all over the area, including someone who dropped off close to 50 trees on Thursday for the goats.
“If I have extras, I notify other farmers that I know have goats and I will come and let them get some trees for their goats,” she said.
Norris said they plan to have a drop-off available for people looking to get rid off their trees on Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. at 4856 Columbia Road in Grovetown.
Have Boy Scouts come pick it up
Local Boy Scout Troop 2 is taking over Christmas tree picking up responsibilities as part of a fundraiser. To request a pick up, fill out this Google Form with all the important information.
The pickup fundraiser is only available for Evans, Grovetown and Martinez area residents. The pickup will only take place from 9 a.m. to noon on Sunday, Jan. 9. A $15 minimum donation is required..
Put it on the curb
If you just want to get rid of your Christmas tree with as little hassle as possible, you can simply put it on the curb if you live in Augusta. After Christmas and throughout the first weeks in January, Augusta Solid Waste offers Christmas tree recycling as part of their yard waste program.
Make sure all tinsel, lights, decorations, tree stands and plastic bags are removed prior to collection. Christmas trees should be set out by 6 a.m. on your collection day during the first two full weeks in January.
In North Augusta, residents can recycle their trees through the city’s TreeCycle program which starts Jan. 10 and runs through Jan. 13. The trees are picked up curbside on your normal day of sanitation collection. Everything has to be removed from the tree for pickup.
Use is as a bird feeder
Dumpster Depot recommends people make bird feeders with their Christmas trees. Simply make sure the tree is free of hooks and other decorations, place your tree in the backyard and decorate it with fresh fruit or strung popcorn.
Create mulch out of it
It's not hard to create mulch out of Christmas trees that can then be used in your garden.
“If you can find someone that is chipping them, it makes really good mulch. If you got enough of them to run through a chipper,” Vaughn said Thursday. “You can cut the limbs off as well and use them as a mulch. They last forever."
Home Depot allows people to rent or buy a woodchipper and process the tree. An employee at the Home Depot on Bobby Jones Expressway said they have a woodchipper for rent with prices ranging from $195-$300 depending on how long it's needed. Call Home Depot at (706) 650-7662 for more information.
Vaughn suggested people reach out to neighbors and see if it might be beneficial to rent one and get mulch for everyone to use.