What to Do with Your Christmas Tree After the Holidays

The warm and jolly Christmas festive atmosphere is about to end, and the one thing that brought you possibly the most joy, the Christmas tree, is now past its part to play. You're thinking of disposing of it and getting some space back in your living room. However, did you know that every year, thousands and thousands of families across Australia use Christmas trees? And now all at once they're going to be thrown away. It's a bit of a waste, really, when your tree could still be useful. Instead of just dragging it to the kerb, there are better options. Or even if you don't want the hassle and just want to get rid of it, there are some methods you need to follow.

Why Proper Disposal Matters

The whole disposal thing matters more than you'd think. Trees that end up in a landfill get buried and decompose without air. This creates methane, which does more environmental damage than carbon dioxide. Meanwhile, you've thrown out something that could improve your garden, enrich the soil, or give local wildlife a home. Just a bit of thought now stops a whole lot of waste down the track.

However, before you do anything with your tree, there's one crucial step you absolutely can't skip. You need to strip that tree completely bare. That means decorations, tinsel, wire, hooks, and the stand. All of it needs to come off. Why? Because even small bits of plastic or metal will damage mulching equipment or harm any wildlife that ends up using your tree. Tinsel is the worst culprit because it loves hiding deep in the branches. Check twice, maybe even three times. You want your tree totally naked before you move to the next step.

Turn Your Tree into Garden Mulch

If you've got a mulcher or wood chipper sitting in the shed gathering dust, this is the perfect time to drag it out. Your old Christmas tree is basically free garden gold waiting to happen. All those branches and needles that seem like waste can be transformed into brilliant mulch in minutes. Just run the branches through your chipper, and you end up with fresh mulch that you can spread around your garden beds. It's fantastic for holding moisture in the soil during our brutal Australian summers, it stops weeds from taking over, and honestly, it looks pretty neat too. Plus, you're saving money on buying bagged mulch from the hardware store. What works:

• Needles and small branches make brilliant ground cover that feeds your soil as they break down

• Spread mulch 5 to 10 centimetres thick, but keep it off plant stems

• Pine mulch is slightly acidic, perfect for azaleas, gardenias, and blueberries

• No chipper? Some councils and garden centres offer free mulching after Christmas

Create a Wildlife Spot

Your old tree makes an excellent shelter for local birds and small animals. Don't rush to dispose of it. Set the tree up in a back corner of your yard and leave it there. Birds find it fast and use the branches for cover during storms and on hot days when they want shade. Think of it as instant wildlife accommodation. You can make it even better:

• Hang birdseed or fruit from the branches for native birds

• Lay the tree down flat to create a brush pile for lizards, insects, and small mammals

• Position it beside your garden beds where it blends in

• After a few months, once it's dried out, cut it up for firewood or add it to compost

Add It to Your Compost

Christmas trees are packed with carbon, which is great for compost. The needles and twigs add structure to your heap. Pine needles are acidic, though, so you need to balance them with other materials. Don't worry if you're new to composting; this is pretty straightforward. How to do it:

• Cut branches into smaller pieces for faster breakdown

• Spread needles throughout your bin rather than piling them up

• Mix in green waste such as vegetable scraps and grass clippings

• Water regularly and turn the pile. Expect six months to a year for full decomposition

Use Branches as Garden Stakes

The trunk and thick branches make handy garden stakes. Use them for tomatoes, beans, or anything needing support. They also work as natural edging for beds or paths. Before you mulch the whole tree, pull out any usable sections. Quick tips:

• Cut the trunk into metre lengths for stakes

• Strip bark if you want them to last longer

• Sharpen one end to push into soil easily

• You'll get at least a season or two before they break down

Check Your Local Council’s Green Waste Policy

If you're not into the whole gardening thing or you just want the tree gone without any fuss, this is your best bet. Most councils around Australia run special collection services in January specifically for Christmas trees. They'll either pick the tree up from your kerb on a specific date, or they've got drop-off points set up around the area where you can take it yourself. All those collected trees get chipped into mulch that gets used in local parks and public gardens. It's perfect if you're living in a unit or apartment and don't have space for composting or any of that other stuff. What to know:

• Check your council website for dates, usually a week or two after the New Year

• Some want trees under two metres, so check the rules

• Miss the collection? Most councils take trees at waste facilities year-round

• This is your best option without a garden

Give to Community Groups

Some community groups and environmental organisations collect Christmas trees for recycling. They either turn them into products or use them in habitat restoration work. Give your local land care group, community garden, or environmental centre a call to see who's running collections. There are often more programmes available than people realise. Look for:

• Habitat projects using trees for riverbanks or wildlife corridors

• Community composting accepting larger green waste

• Schools wanting trees for outdoor learning or nature play

• Animal sanctuaries using trees for enrichment

Save for Firewood

Pine and fir burn hot and fast, good for kindling but not main fuel. Let the wood dry completely first, usually six months in a well-ventilated spot. Fresh pine usually has too much moisture and sap to burn safely. Stay safe:

• Never burn fresh trees; the sap is dangerous and builds up creosote in chimneys

• Stack wood somewhere dry with airflow, off the ground

• Only burn trunk and thick branches, compost the rest

• Pine spits and sparks more than hardwood; use a fire screen indoors

Try Some Crafts

Slice the trunk into coasters or ornaments. Turn branches into wreaths. Use dried needles for sachets that smell amazing. If you're creative, there are dozens of ways to repurpose different parts of the tree. A few ideas:

• Sand trunk slices smooth for rustic coasters or next year's ornaments

• Bundle small branches for fire starters, dip in wax for extra burn

• Fill fabric bags with dried needles for drawer sachets

• Make a garden trellis or rustic veggie patch fence from branches

What Not to Do

There are quite a few ways to dispose your Christmas tree after the holiday season and some of them are quite useful to you and the environment too. However, along with that there are also some things that you can’t or at least shouldn't do as they are either harmful to the environment or can cost you a pretty big fine. They are:

• Dumping in bushland, parks, or waterways gets you fined and hurts the environment

• Burning fresh trees or during fire ban periods is a genuine hazard

• Regular bins won't take them, and they end up in the landfill

• Leaving trees on nature strips outside collection times

Plan for Next Year

Now that you've sorted out what to do with this year's tree and you know all the different options available, you can actually plan ahead for next Christmas. Think about buying a potted tree that you can either plant out in your garden after the holidays or keep in the pot and reuse every single year. Whatever you pick, taking those few extra steps to dispose of your tree properly genuinely makes a difference. Your garden gets better soil quality, local wildlife gets homes and shelter, or your tree becomes something useful instead of just rotting away somewhere. That's not a bad outcome for something that's already given you and your family weeks of Christmas joy and happy memories.

Real Christmas Tree understands that sometimes dealing with the Christmas tree after the holiday season is too much of a hassle. You have got work going on, kids start school, and sometimes even when you want to do something with the tree you just don’t have the time. That is why we offer Christmas tree removal service in Brisbane even including the CBD and inner city. Visit us today and recycle your Christmas tree stress-free.