Ashley Hunter
ECB Publishing, Inc.
Once Christmas is over, the lights have come down from the outside of the house, the blown up Santa and Rudolph have been stored away for next year, the final piece of wrapping paper has been found and disposed of, and the holiday ham is wrapped up in the fridge, one question lingers - what do you do with your Christmas tree?
Unlike lights, garlands or decorations, fresh Christmas trees won’t last until the next season, so disposing of them may pose a problem.
It is not suggested for the tree to simply be thrown out in a brush pile behind your home; the Christmas tree may not be entirely bug or disease-free and when you toss it out into your yard, you risk spreading any creepy-crawlies or diseases to the trees and brush around your property.
What about burning the old tree? While it might sound like a good idea, Christmas trees burn quickly and burn hot; very easily and very quickly, the flames that light the boughs of your holiday tree on fire can get out of hand and pose a fire risk to your home, property or surrounding properties.
So, where can you bring your tree?
The Jefferson County Solid Waste Department has planned ahead and recommends that county residents bring their old Christmas trees to the fill site on Tyson Road (located between US 19 and Waukeenah Highway). This landfill is currently being used for tree and yard debris, so any natural fir Christmas tree can be dumped at this site.
If you need to dispose of a plastic or artificial Christmas tree, the solid waste department says that the tree can be brought to the collection site on S. Jefferson Street.