The Christmas season is almost over, and like every year, it’s time to part with your Christmas tree. However, simply throwing away your beloved tree is really too much of a shame and not very sustainable either. That’s why we’ve come up with a few recycling ideas to give your Christmas tree a second life. IMAGE: Planet_fox | Pixabay

Ideas for Recycling your Christmas Tree

#1 Coat Rack

With a little craftsmanship, you can make a nice coat hook from the top of the tree. You can find detailed instructions on the Natural Christmas Tree Association website. (There’s an automatic translation for the website available)

#2 Pine needle oil

Pine needles contain essential oils that you can use to make a soothing bath. Simply boil about 100 grams of pine needles for ten to fifteen minutes and pour them through a strainer into the bath water.

#3 Garden use

There are many uses in the garden. You can use the twigs for your own compost pile, make mulch with a shredder, or dry the needles or whole twigs and use them as a natural household remedy for slugs in the spring. Not only do they not like the smell, but don’t like to crawl over the thorny needles either.

#4 Fire material

Of course, the chopped tree can also be used as fuel for a home fireplace or winter campfire. Just make sure the branches and the trunk are dry enough and produce more sparks than e.g. hardwood.

#5 Spruce and Pine Needle Tea

If your Christmas tree is a sustainable spruce or pine that has not been treated with pesticides (!), you can easily make tea from the needles. Chop up about 5 grams of needles, put them in a cup, pour hot water over them and let them steep for 2-3 minutes.

#6 Use it for decoration

This is where your creativity comes in. Saw the trunk into small slices, sand it smooth, seal it and use it as a coaster, use pine greenery as a natural decoration for gifts, or simply arrange the branches in a vase