If you have a live Christmas tree, what do you do with it after the holidays are done? The halls are un-decked and the decorations are put away, so what happens to the naked, needle-dropping tree still sitting in the living room?
If you live in the City of Pittsburgh, don’t put your Christmas tree out to the curb. Although in past years Pittsburgh has had a curbside pickup for Christmas tree recycling, they’re not doing it this year. (So, if you put your tree out to the curb, it will just get put in the same garbage truck as everything else and go to the landfill.)
Instead, take your tree to one of the city’s recycling centers. The city accepts yard waste at four different recycling centers where they compost and mulch materials. Here are the details of the 2012 Christmas tree program (pdf) with locations. The Department of Public Works also has more information on yard waste collection. Be aware: if you take a car or SUV, drop-offs are free. But for a pickup or trailer, you pay $20 (or more for large dumptrucks, etc.), and you have to pay by money order (no checks or cash). Which is a real pain, so chop the tree into a couple of pieces, or strap it to the roof of the car.
If you live elsewhere, check with your local government for what to do with your tree. If you live in Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Resources Council is a great place for information.
You can always compost the tree yourself, as well, in your own home compost pile. To do this effectively, you’re going to have to chop it up. The easiest way is with a power chipper/shredder, but you could also do it manually with some pruners. Just cut the branches from the trunk and cut or break them into small pieces. (Leave the thick trunk out of the compost and use it for a bonfire in the spring.)
Or, you can use the tree as a wildlife habitat. I’d really only recommend this if you live in a rural area, because in urban areas you might attract wildlife that’s less cuddly and enjoyable (like rats, for example). But you can drag the tree into your yard in a wooded area and let nature take its course. The branches will provide a place for birds or small mammals to shelter, and eventually the tree will compost naturally. (Sometimes trees are also used underwater in ponds to provide similar habitats for small fish.)
Whatever you do, if you choose a live tree, make sure it doesn’t end up in the landfill, so we can have lots of happy holidays to come.
- Q: What do you do with a old white toilet?
- A: I have no clue…
I’m trying my best to be as green as possible while remodeling my house. I have used as much salvage goods as possible. I’m on a first name basis with the guys at Construction Junction and try to be the Mayor of the recycling dumpster.
However, what do I do with an old toilet?
Yes, I can donate it for reuse but then I’m encouraging someone to use too much water every time they make sissy. The toilet in question used 3.5 gallons per flush. That’s 2 gallons more then the federaly mandated standard. I’m not the math wiz (pun intended) but that’s a lot of water being wasted.
What to do? I did extensive rearch for options. I came up empty handed.
- I can’t break it up to use for flower pot drainage but poo contamination is bad! I don’t need Dateline NBC to be in my backyard with a cotton swab.
- While fashion forward, I couldn’t make it work as a head piece.
- The only viable option seems to be turning it into a lovely flowerpot but my nebby neighbors might object.
So what did I do? I took it to Construction Junction to be reused. The donation attendant said that they were thinking about no longer accepting high flush toilets. Oh Crap! However, for now, I accepted the tax donation receipt and left my trouble maker behind. Now to deal with the two other water buffalos in my house!
- Jimmy
PS. What would you do with an old toilet? I’d love to hear your suggestions.
I generally like TreeHugger, but this article about the new iPad pisses me off.
I like Apple products. I own several. But I’m not a raving sycophant — if you love your Windows computer or your Android phone, great. Apple has taken broad steps to eliminating harmful chemicals and other ways to make its products greener. There’s still room for improvement, of course — and Greenpeace does a really nice job of presenting the facts about electronics manufacturers and how sustainable their products and processes are.
The author of the TreeHugger article argues the following:
If there were ever a gadget that emits a haloed “Planned Obsolescence” in bright neon letters, it’s the iPad. …[It] is released such a short time after the first version that all consumers are left with the question, “Apple, why didn’t you just do this with the last version since you obviously could have?”
The author of this article has a conspiracy theory about “planned obsolescence” and electronics, in which Apple changes very little about a product and re-releases it to its legion of zombie-fans who will throw away their current iPad and buy the new one.
Now, I think this idea of “planned obsolescence” is not completely off the mark: plenty of products exhibit its evidence. They’re designed to fall apart or break, be too expensive to repair, and be replaced by something that’s slightly newer and shinier but barely any different. But I think the charge is being unfairly leveled against Apple.
Apple products last a long time for electronics. In my experience, much longer than the competition: I have a 6-year-old Power Mac that is still perfectly functional, and a 4-year-old MacBook Pro that has taken a beating that would have reduced my old Dell laptop to plastic shards (not to mention, it’s still capable of running Apple’s most current operating system, while that Dell would have choked on Windows Vista years ago). Just pick up an iPhone or Mac laptop and compare the solid feel and careful design with cheap, creaky, plasticky products from many other manufacturers and the difference is apparent. And, these products hold their value well: over the years I’ve resold a number of Mac desktops and laptops, and a first-generation iPhone, and every time I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how much they’re still worth, and happy that they still function well and can be passed along to someone who will use them.
Of course the greenest products are those that last a long time. When I buy a table or a cabinet, I expect it to last long enough for me to pass down to another generation. But the idea that Apple could “just do this with the last version” shows a willful ignorance of how quickly electronics evolve. I’ve gotten a new iPhone about every 2 years, and a new computer every 3 or 4, for quite a while now. Is that un-green? How long would we expect a phone to last? 5 years? Even that’s ridiculous if you look at how much technology has progressed: 5 years ago, YouTube didn’t exist. Web 2.0 (remember when we used to call it that?) was just taking off. We were still buying CDs for music. Blogs were just beginning to be really influential on the media. Facebook was still only open to students with a college email address. Twitter wasn’t even a twinkle in anyone’s eye. Does anybody really think a phone developed in 2005 could keep up with all of that?
As I’ve already pointed out, Apple products hold together and keep their value longer that most electronics, so what’s the bee in the TreeHugger author’s bonnet? I’m willing to wager, it’s because the iPad is the topic du jour and it’s an easy way to get pageviews. Let’s just call this what it is: TreeHugger spinning out some dreck to capitalize on a trending search term.
