CLEVELAND — The most wonderful time of the year is wrapping up and as you take down your Christmas decorations, you may be wondering where you can safely dispose of your live Christmas tree.
There are places that collect trees and repurpose them after the holidays, like Stearns Homestead in Parma.
Anita Cook has volunteered at Stearns Homestead for 12 years. Five years ago, she had an idea to collect live Christmas trees after the holidays and feed them to their goats and sheep.
“And they love it,” she said, watching them nibble away. “They’ll eat that down to nothing.”
It’s a real treat. According to experts, pine can be good for intestinal worm control and is rich in Vitamin C.
Stearns Homestead is a 48-acre farm owned by the city of Parma. It’s managed by the Parma Area Historical Society and opened in 1855. Today, the original houses are museums and there are about 75 animals living on the land.
Right now there are 9 goats and 4 sheep at Stearns Homestead. The farm in Parma estimates at least 100 trees will be collected this year and fed to the animals. Experts say pine can be good for intestinal worm control and is rich in Vitamin C. @SpectrumNews1OH pic.twitter.com/yetIQgRPxH
— Micaela Marshall (@MMarshallTV) December 29, 2022
Right now, there are nine goats and four sheep. Cook estimates at least 100 trees will be collected this year.
“We’ll eventually have a pile that’s probably as tall as me and probably as wide as maybe four of those rail sections,” she said. “It will be huge.”
No artificial or painted trees are accepted. Don’t drop off any trees that have been sprayed for pesticides, either.
Be sure to remove all decorations, including ornaments, lights and tinsel, in order to keep the goats and sheep safe.
“Because we don’t want that to get caught in their digestive system and then we have problems,” Cook said.
Any that aren’t eaten, will be turned into mulch by the city. The mulch will be spread out on the farm and other Parma-owned properties.
“It’s like a win-win situation,” Cook said.
The farm is collecting live trees from local residents through Jan. 15.
“Totally recyclable,” she said. “You can’t beat that.”
Other places are also collecting Christmas trees around the state.
- You can recycle your live tree at 13 Lake Metroparks locations through Jan. 22.
- Same goes for six Summit Metro Parks locations through Jan. 31.
- In the Cincinnati area, Hamilton County residents can drop off trees at Kemper Meadow Park until Jan. 15.
- The city of Columbus will take trees on your scheduled yard waste day. Trees can also be taken to several local facilities for composting.
