Homeowners with private fish ponds may want to consider sinking their tree to make a refuge and feeding area for fish. Another option for people is to call their local municipality to see if they collect Christmas trees and chip them for use in composting piles or as mulch materials, Johnson suggests. Municipalities can use recycling grant money to provide tree collection and chipping services, she adds. People can save their Christmas tree and chip it themselves in the spring to use for mulch around trees and shrubs. If they don't want to chip the tree, they can remove the branches and place them on planting beds.
Mulches help keep the ground moist and reduce weed growth.
A creative use for Christmas trees is to save the needles to create potpourri. Dry the branches, then remove and crumble the needles. Mix the needles with cinnamon sticks, whole cloves and Christmas scent. Place in jars to store. To create a pleasant Christmas scent, add one cup of water to one-fourth cup potpourri and heat it on a stove top or in a potpourri heater.