Nothing welcomes the holidays more than a fresh-cut Christmas tree. These holiday trees bring with them the beauty and fragrance of the outdoors. The aroma of the pine can fill a rental home with memories of holidays past. Decorated with lights and ornaments, it becomes an icon of Christmas. However, when the holidays are over, it becomes a bit of a hassle. A lot of Humboldt Residents would have to face the question of how to properly dispose of their tree. Dry pine needles are a fire hazard, so you’ll need to take the Christmas tree out of your property as soon as all the ornaments and decorations on it are taken down. The problem is that most dumpsters and general trash pick-ups won’t accept Christmas trees. That means you can’t just toss your tree out to dispose of it. In what follows, we’ll examine some safe and legal ways renters can properly dispose of their Christmas trees.

One of the first things you can do to dispose of a Christmas tree is to check your city’s website or that of your local waste removal company. In these modern days, many cities and towns have their own websites. In it, you may find helpful information for residents which usually includes specific, city-run programs designed for Christmas tree removal. Local waste removal companies do the same thing. Some places show you local drop-off locations while others show you how to avail of curbside pickup or even how to have them shred your tree for mulch. It varies from place to place.

Humboldt Recology serves many areas in our community and offers Holiday Tree Pickup. After the holidays, they offer curbside holiday tree collection for two Saturdays in January for a $5 service fee. Call their office for dates and to schedule your pickup. If you subscribe to their greenwaste service, you may place your tree next to your greenwaste can on your regular pickup day.

If your town offers drop-off locations, you have one of the easiest ways to remove your tree from the property. To find a good location for you, all you have to do is a quick internet search. After you’ve chosen a location, what’s left is to take your tree there. If you want to do it yourself, do use a tree bag to protect your walls and floors from scratches and to keep dead pine needles from making a mess.

Also, check your local yard waste removal company. Some of them can pick up your tree or even turn it into mulch right outside your home. To use these services, you may have to make a special request on or before a specific date, and some may cost you a little extra on your trash removal bill that month. If either of these two options is available, get all the relevant information you can— including any related fees— before scheduling the service.

If you choose not to avail yourself of the services provided by the city or by the local waste removal company, or if they do not offer those services, it’s not a problem. There are several other ways to dispose of a Christmas tree. One option is to hire someone to chop your tree up into firewood. There are several organizations that accept donated Christmas trees for use in environmental recovery projects. This is a good option since many of these projects use donated trees to help reduce beach erosion or create habitats for wildlife.

There is one way that you must never consider, and that is to burn your Christmas tree on the property. It’s only a viable option if you have a wood-burning fireplace and if you’ve had the tree cut into firewood. If you haven’t, then lighting a dry pine tree on fire is a really bad idea. You may injure yourself or even damage or destroy your Humboldt rental property— and all your personal belongings with it.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) says that it takes less than 60 seconds for a Christmas tree fire to set an entire house ablaze. Even if you do manage to successfully burn your tree without taking down the house, there’s a good chance that the flames damaged the yard or other parts of the property. This may mean that you, at a minimum, would have to pay some fines or deal with the loss of your security deposit.

The proper disposal of your Christmas tree should not be taken lightly. It is a serious responsibility. By gathering the right information, you can select the best option— one that does the job and also keeps you and your rental home safe.

At Rentor, we know that the different aspects of life demand your attention— be it your business, or friends, or your family— and that may mean you can’t be on top of everything all the time. Our team of property managers is ready to help you deal with that responsibility. We take care of all communication.Email Support@Rentor.com or call us at 707-444-3835 today.