This year, officials are encouraging everyone to repurpose their Christmas trees or dispose of them properly.
To extend the life of your tree after the Holidays, you can try turning it into mulch or compost, a bird feeder, or use it to create a shelter for wildlife.
"Repurposing it is another way to ensure that we are doing our best in keeping waste out of the landfill," Damien Tramel with Hillsborough County Solid Waste Management said. "That we're not processing the waste at a cost and that we're not burning the waste as well. So repurposing is the primary way to remove that waste out of the system.”
Tramel said mulching is the primary way people repurpose their trees. To do that, you may need a chipper. Some waste management agencies can also do it for you.
If you plan on disposing of your tree, you need to do it correctly.
First, take off all decorations and ornaments. You can then cut the tree into sections. Many cities will pick up the tree along the curb.
Alternatively, you can drop the tree off at a yard waste site.
