How to Recycle Your Christmas Tree in Eugene

"What do we do with the Christmas tree now, Charlie Brown?"

With the Holidays now behind us, disposing of the resulting trash can be a bit problematic. All those boxes, all that paper and packaging material can cause your co-mingle recycle can to overflow for the next month, but it’s do-able. The tree, however, has to be cut up into much smaller chunks to fit into your yard waste bin, and how many of us here in Eugene or Springfield keep a saw lying around?

Here are a few tips for dealing with your Holiday fir:

Make a Donation

Fortunately, for a few dollars donation, there are many groups in Lane County willing to help you solve your post-Christmas trash problems. And with donations down as much as 90%, the fund-raising efforts of these groups are even more vital.

• Boy Scouts — local council office: 485.4433
• Girl Scouts — local office: 485-5911
• Fire Departments — Eugene: 682-7100, Springfield: 726-3737‎
• Church Youth Groups — contact your favorite church
• Student Groups — contact your nearest school

Mulch or Compost It

If you (or your neighbor) have a garden with a compost pile, and a pair of long handle loppers or heavy duty pruning shears, you can trim off the branches of your tree yourself. Clipped into smaller pieces they can be turned into the compost pile, and used to enrich that garden soil.

Haul it off yourself

Of course, you can always pack up your tree and take it yourself to a number of facilities in the area for a fee. Here are some that accept Christmas trees and their fees for doing so:

• Lane Forest Products — $1 and $2
• Lane County Waste Transfer Station — $9 (basic trash fee)
• Rexius — $1 and $2

Give it to the USACE

Often the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers accepts Christmas trees to use as fish nests and nurseries in lakes and hatcheries. For details, you can contact the Willamette Valley office in Lowell: 541-937-2131.