4 Useful Things Iowa And Illinois Can Do With Live Christmas Trees

How long are we leaving the Christmas tree up?

It can be sad to tell the holidays goodbye, but the weird period between Christmas and New Year's is a great time to take down Christmas decorations and reset the house for the new year.

Put It Outside With The Trash

In Bettendorf, live Christmas tree pickup will be Dec. 26-Jan. 7. 

In Davenport, collection is through the 2nd week of January. In Moline, you can put live Christmas trees out on trash day generally during the first 3 weeks of January. Similarly, Rock Island picks up live Christmas trees in the first 2 weeks of January.

Before you put your tree out with the trash, make sure all of the ornaments, garland, lights, etc. are off of it.

Use The Pine Needles To Make Sachets

Before you toss it out on the sidewalk, take a few of the pine needles off of it and put them in a small fabric bag. You now have a sachet to keep the great smell around for a little longer.

Turn It Into Mulch

Multiple places will put a live Christmas tree through a wood chipper to turn it into mulch for you. The Davenport Compost Facility can do this for residents.

Give Fish Somewhere To Live

Live Christmas trees (again, stripped of ornaments, lights, tinsel, etc) can make for great habitats for fish. Some wildlife agencies and zoos accept live Christmas trees to put in lakes, rivers, or fish habitats. Reach out to your local wildlife agency to see if they can take your live Christmas tree.

It's always at least kind of sad to take down your Christmas tree after the holidays, especially if you had a live one that made the house smell great. But it helps to know your tree went to something useful even after the season.