Watertown residents can dispose of their Christmas trees through the month of January, the Department of Public Works announced.
Trees will be collected on normal trash days through the end of January.
The DPW said that all lights and ornaments should be removed, and they should not be put in a bag.
“The city will only collect the tree itself,” the DPW announcement said. “Please be patient about the timing of when your tree is picked up. There are a lot of trees to be picked up and the Department of Public Works will be working as efficiently as possible to get to them all.”
I would like to share an alternative to the tradition of getting a tree that are grown just to be appreciated for a very short time and then thrown away.
Use pine limbs found on the forest floor instead. They are common after wind storms or just from age. You can find them on hikes in many of our forests areas or even along the Charles river. I have cut them up and put them in a large vase or a water pitcher and with a little try you can make it look much like a tree.
You still have to water it a lot of course and I think it looks a lot better. You are also helping clean up the forest floor as well as saving the town from having to come around to pick up all those poor old trees.
Here is a picture of a “tree” I made this year
https://photos.app.goo.gl/e4zhvi4HHptzJK3S9
and a smaller version
https://photos.app.goo.gl/zcWq2Z6NiidbjyfZA
Happy new year everyone
Channell Homestead family farm in Hanson, MA also accepts trees to feed their goats !