PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — When it comes time to take down the live family Christmas tree, what do you do with the dried-up, old, needle-dropping fire hazard?
The lack of sparkling lights and ornaments may leave your Christmas tree looking like trash. You can put it out on the curb for your block’s regularly scheduled trash collection.
Or you can recycle it with a participating city partner. If you haven't thrown it out yet, it can be mulch — or goat food.
"For your tree to go to a landfill, it's a waste of resources," says Dave Bloovman, co-owner of Circle Compost.
1. Philly Goat Project
Leslie Jackson says Christmas trees can give local goats something to chew on. On several Saturdays in January, the Philly Goat Project will help you mow down your fir or pine.
“It’s a two-fer,” she said. “Ditch the tree, and feed a goat.”
There’s an express drop-off: “You drive up, drop off the tree and go on your way.”
Or you can meet a goat.
“We have a Festival of Sustainability on Saturday. We will have a fire pit, hot chocolate and s’mores. All 13 goats will be out available. They will be eating Christmas trees,” Jackson said.
“You can drive through — we call it our ‘drive-through safari’ — you can see some goats. We’ll take your donation and your tree.”
And there will be games for the kids.
There are two locations.
The Farm at Awbury
6336 Ardleigh St. (at Duval)
Saturdays, Jan. 6 and Jan. 13 (rain dates, Jan. 7 and Jan. 14)
Noon – 3 p.m.
$20 per tree
Laurel Hill West Cemetery
225 Belmont Ave., Bala Cynwyd, Pa.
Saturday, Jan. 20 (rain date: Sunday, Jan. 21)
Noon – 2 p.m.
$20 per tree
2. Pick-up service
Another option for Philadelphia residents: For a small fee, you can arrange for a private pick-up service to come get your tree. Bennett Compost, Circle Compost and South Philly Green offer pick-up services for $15 – $20 per tree.
Bloovman says all you have to do is be within their service area, register online, and pay the fee: "That includes us picking up the tree, bringing it to a farm site, and then we pay a company to come chip them all up and turn it into wood chips."
3. Drop-off
Or, for no money at all, the Department of Streets Christmas Tree Recycling Program will take your trees at one of 19 designated locations from Tuesday, Jan. 2, through Saturday, Jan. 13.
Recycled trees are sent to a third party to be chipped into compost, so trees must be untied and have no trace of decorations on them.
Here are a few drop-off options:
Passyunk Square Civic Association
Columbus Square Park (13th and Reed streets)
Saturday, Jan. 6
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
$5 per tree
South Philly Green
Guerin Rec Center (16th and Wolf streets)
Saturday, Dec. 30
12 p.m. – 3 p.m.
$5 per tree
South Philly Green
Manton Green (17th and Manton streets)
Saturday, Jan. 6
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
$5 per tree
Head over to the city’s website for a map and full list of locations.