When the holiday season comes to a close, and it’s time to take down the decorations, throwing away the things you don’t need is second nature. But, have you ever thought about recycling your Christmas tree?

Each year, Dumpster Depot collects bare Christmas trees from families in the CSRA to be recycled and used for fish habitats. The trees are able to keep local lakes and ponds healthy and vibrant for the fishermen. Though this is a big part of Dumpster Depot’s mission for them, recycled Christmas trees can be used for many things.

Here are just a few:

• Fish feeders: Putting Christmas trees into private fish ponds makes for a great living and feeding area for fish.
• Bird feeders: After you make sure the tree is free of hooks and other decorations that could be harmful to birds, you can place your Christmas tree in the backyard and decorate it with fresh fruit of strung popcorn. The food will attract birds, and it makes a great place for them to sit.
• Mulch: Your Christmas tree’s branches can be removed, chipped and used as mulch in your garden.

So, now that you know how impactful a recycled Christmas tree can be to the environment, we hope you remember to recycle yours each year after the holidays.