Christmas Trees Get Second Life As Compost

Now that Christmas has come and gone you may be wondering what to do with your Christmas tree.

You've got a couple of options. The City of Charleston and the St. Andrews Public Service District will collect the trees curbside on your regularly scheduled yard debris pick-up day, so the easiest thing to do will be to drag it out to the curb on your day.

Additionally Charleston County is offering a free 2-cubic-foot bag of compost for anyone who brings their tree to the Bees Ferry Landfill themself.

"You need to see the compost sales person to get the compost," Charleston County Composting Superintendent Harvey Gibson said.

A few trees have already trickled into the landfill, and individuals that want to dispose of their tree personally can do so near the front of the landfill property at 1344 Bees Ferry Road.

"One thing nice about Christmas trees is this time of year I'm low on green stock, so when they come in with all of the leaves it really helps the compost stock," Gibson said. "We'll see a real deluge usually starting after New Year's Day."

Gibson added that the composting volume at the Bees Ferry Landfill is averaging about 9 percent more than last year, and he expects that trend to continue after the takes full effect in February.