It’s that time of year where a lot of trees get cut down and posted up in living rooms across the country…woohoo! What do you end up doing with your tree when it’s time to take it outside? I always remember picking the pine needles out of the carpet and stepping on them…but it was still worth the smell of a nice pine tree in the house.
Anyway, christmas trees are definitely compostable. There’s a pretty huge myth about adding too much pine to your compost, claiming that it will alter your soil’s pH. While scientifically this may seem feasible, I have yet to hear of any horror stories and all the hardcore gardeners out there will put it in the pile no questions asked. If you can’t pull it off, your municipality will most likely collect it and chip it for you.
Actually, another alternative if you have a big yard is to just lay it out back for the birds to hang out in. Fill it with snacks for them, they’ll certainly appreciate it.
What about Hanukkah? Menorahs are usually made of metal or plastic- okay, I’m kidding… why would you need to trash your menorah? Judaism: kudos to you for generating less waste on the holidays. The remnants of the candle can be tossed in the compost, however keep in mind you want to keep the synthetic candles out of there…paraffin being the biggest culprit.
I just read how nasty it is to burn paraffin candles in your house…equivalent to starting a diesel engine? Seriously? That’s some weird hearsay. Well, they are made from the remainder of a barrel of oil. As for the beeswax, soy wax, etc., you can compost it- but don’t expect results for a long time. Shredding it up the best you can goes without saying. Wax is trying to repel water, so it’ll take a long time before it wants to cooperate.
For the Kwanzaa peeps out there, your kufi is definitely compostable… they’re made of mudcloth or kente cloth…both natural fibers. I have no idea why you would compost your kufi, though.
So there you have it. Compost your holiday. Wrapping paper, all that leftover food…just the thought of holiday waste makes me feel kinda sick. Please do your part and have fun avoiding the landfill. Come springtime you’ll be rewarded with some rich soil.