How To Recycle Your Christmas Tree in Chelmsford

CHELMSFORD, MA — If you've lived in Chelmsford for any stretch of time, you may know that Chelmsford doesn't offer curbside Christmas tree removal. So what to do with that tree? For years one local Boy Scout Troop has helped fill the void.

For a suggested donation of $10, Boy Scouts Troop 70 will pick up your Christmas tree and recycle it.

It's become a town tradition here in Chelmsford — one that helps out the local troop, and provides a service where the town was not able to— after the state banned municipalities from taking Christmas trees to landfills or burn facilities in the 1990s.

"The town just stopped collecting them and people didn't have a way to get rid of them," said Rich Day who worked for the town for some 37 years before he retired.

Someone at town hall asked Day, who was active in the scouting world, if he thought the Boy Scouts might be interested in helping dispose of trees for the senior citizens or at least people who might have a more difficult time getting the trees on their cars.

The rest is history.

"It's kinda fun, it gets a little rough near the end," said Adam Foti, assistant patrol leader of Troop 70. He's helped collect trees for the past four years, and knows the two weekends full of six hours of tree pickups is hard work.

The first year the boy scouts probably picked up as many as 70 trees for the seniors. Since then, the number has only grown to 600 trees each season —even when the number in the troop has dipped to a handful. Adam estimated they collected about 800 trees last year.

To help fund raise for the troop the boys started asking for a donation of $5. But when the Boy Scout National re-registration fee went up by more than double, the troop decided to raise their suggested donation to $10. Still, the scouts stress no one will be turned away if they can't pay that.

Adam, who is a freshman at Chelmsford High School, said so far about 500 people have scheduled a time to have their tree removed already, putting the troop is ahead of where it was last year. About half of their customers register before Christmas, and the other half right after.

Pick up are scheduled for the first and second week in January, and each of the 12 members of the troop will get a list of addresses and will travel town with their parents in pickup trucks to pick up the trees and take them to Community Tree Services, a local landscaping company that takes the trees from there.

"We do this as an alternative to selling popcorn," Adam said. "I think this is a lot more helpful to people than popcorn. It's a service that people have come to rely on and that feels good."

Residents can arrange for collection by emailing xmastrees@troopseventy.com, calling 978-764-8377 or filling out a form online to schedule a pickup.

Pick up days this year? Jan. 2, Jan. 3, Jan 9 and Jan. 10.

Other environmentally friendly options:

Find a friend with a wood chipper who can shred your tree for you and turn it into compost.
Visit Earth911 and search your ZIP code for places that recycle Christmas trees in the area.

Check with area animal sanctuaries that might want trees for animal life enrichment or food.

If you’re feeling crafty, you can turn your tree into coasters or wreaths or ornaments for next year.

If you've got enough room on your property you can always let it decompose on your property and become habitat for some other animal.

Just make sure to remove all the decorations, lights and those stands.

Did we miss something? Tell us in the comments below.

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).