Decorated with its most beautiful garlands, the tree reigned in the middle of the living room. Once the holidays are over, a question comes up every year: what to do with him? Leaving it on the sidewalk is prohibited, but fortunately there are several solutions to dispose of it responsibly.
We decorated it with care, but once the holidays are over, the tree quickly becomes cumbersome and its finish rarely lives up to its former splendor. Every year, the same spectacle repeats itself: withered fir trees litter the streets. However, placing them on the sidewalk is prohibited and can be expensive: abandoning them on public roads is punishable by a fine of 150 euros. To avoid this, municipalities are setting up collections and recycling channels. Several solutions exist; simply inquire at your town hall or on its website.
Where to throw your tree?
To dispose of your Christmas tree correctly, there are rules to follow. Cities generally set up a service that will allow you to drop off your Christmas tree without leaving it on the sidewalk. You can throw it away:
At collection points : in town, there are many collection points (generally in public gardens but not only) which allow you to come and leave your tree. There are 164 in Paris alone, where green space services will then give them a second life: after being crushed, they will be used as mulch in the beds. All you have to do is bring it, stripped of its decorations of course, to the meeting point during authorized hours. If, however, you cannot travel or transport your tree, you can, under certain conditions, place it next to the green bins during garbage collection. Check your city’s website for more details.
At the recycling center : you can also take your tree directly to the recycling center. It will be recycled there with other green waste. Check the opening hours and drop it off in the places provided for this purpose.
Bring your tree back to the garden center
If you bought your tree in a garden center, some will take it back after the holidays. Several brands offer a voucher to customers who return their Christmas tree. in store, upon presentation of the receipt. This is the case for example at Botanic. Ditto at Truffaut, a brand which also undertakes to replant a tree for each fir tree brought back.
Transform your tree into firewood
If you have a fireplace, you can recycle your tree into firewood. It is not the best wood for the fire, but it will allow you to get rid of it usefully and will also spread a good smell in the house. Take care to remove the needles before throwing the branches into the fire as they catch fire very quickly. You can also collect these and keep them: once completely dry, they are perfect for lighting the fireplace.
Recycle your tree in the garden
If it is too acidic to make compost, the fir tree can nevertheless be used as mulch in the garden. Crushed or cut into chips, it will prevent water evaporation and protect your plants from the cold. Thanks to its anti-germinative properties, it also constitutes a ideal natural barrier against the proliferation of weeds.
Replant your tree
If you purchased a potted fir treethis can be replanted, provided of course that you have ensured its proper maintenance during the holidays. To be successfully returned to the ground, he must not have suffered too much from the heat. You will therefore have taken care not to install it too close to a radiator or a fireplace and to water it regularly. Before planting it, leave it for a few days in an unheated room (in the garage for example). Dig a hole deep enough (about twice the size of the rootball), place your tree, fill in with potting soil and water your tree. In a few months, he will quickly become the king of the forests again, or at least of your garden.
