What Can Mainers Do With Their Christmas Trees After The Holidays?

The holidays have come and gone, and what was once a majestic, festive tree, adorned with ornaments has now become fodder for your vacuum.

Those with an artificial Christmas tree have the option of either wrapping it up and setting it aside, as is, or taking it apart and neatly boxing it up.

But for folks with real trees, the process to get rid of them after the holidays is a little more complicated.

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If you're in Bangor, you can either put your tree curbside this week or drop it off at the organic waste yard located in the yard of the Bangor Public Works Department on Maine Avenue. Before you set them aside, they need to be completely cleaned of any artificial debris.

If you live in Brewer, you have till the beginning of next week to drop your trees off in a special spot, if you want Brewer Public Works to come and grab it.

According to the City's website, while Brewer does not come around and collect the trees from each home, as long as the live trees have removed all the decorations, wires, lights, strings, and tinsel, they'll collect them from one appointed area of town.

"The City of Brewer is again offering the convenience to residents of dropping their Christmas trees off at the Brewer Auditorium inside the lower entrance off Wilson Street anytime on or before Monday, January 13, 2024. Residents can also dispose of Christmas trees free of charge at the Brewer landfill, landfill hours (every Tuesday morning between 7:15 am – 11:30 am and the first and third Saturday of the month 7:30 am – 2:00 pm)."

Anyone with questions about the Brewer tree disposal program can all Public Works at 989-7800.

In Old Town, residents can drop off their trees in the designated area next to the Public Safety Building off Middle Street.

Some Maine farms collected old trees to feed to their livestock after the holidays. It's worth a call to your local farms to check if you could drop your tree off to be put to good use.

Iron Leaf Farm in Litchfield is one of those spots. They say that as helpful as the goats are at getting rid of the trees, the trees have health properties that help the goats as well.

"Pine needles provide trace nutrients, antioxidants, minerals, and forage to goats in addition to being a natural dewormer! The goats will strip the tree of both needles and bark."

And speaking of good use, you could always chop that tree up, and set it aside, to burn for next year.

Needless to say, in a state full of them, there are plenty of options for how to dispose of that piece of Christmas past.

Before we say goodbye for good to those beautiful trees, here's a look at how pretty some of them turned out when all done up for the holidays.