Nothing welcomes the holidays more than a fresh-cut Christmas tree. These holiday trees bring the outdoors into the rental home, filling it with its spectacular beauty and aroma. And when the family decorates it with lights and ornaments, it becomes the stuff holiday memories are made of. But once the holidays have come and gone, the tree could not remain in the house. So, many Hartford tenants would have to face the problem of how to dispose of their tree properly. Dry pine needles are a real fire hazard, so once you’re done with it, you have to remove the Christmas tree from the property as soon as possible. The difficulty of this is that most dumpsters and general trash pick-ups won’t accept Christmas trees, so disposing of it is not as simple as tossing it out. In what follows, we’ll examine some safe and legal ways renters can properly dispose of their Christmas trees.
One of the main ways to dispose of a Christmas tree is to visit your city’s website or that of your local waste removal company. In this information age, almost all cities and towns have their own websites with helpful information for residents. When the holiday season comes, they update it to include information for specific, city-run programs designed for Christmas tree removal. Local waste removal companies do the same thing. Depending on the place, you may find local drop-off locations, curbside pickup or even a service where they shred your tree for mulch.
If your town has a list of drop-off locations, this can very well be one of the easiest ways to get rid of your Christmas tree. To find the best location for you, simply do an internet search. After you’ve decided on a location, the next step is to take your tree there. If you’re thinking of doing this yourself, use a tree bag to protect your walls and floors from scratches and to keep dead pine needles from making a mess.
Also, check with the yard waste removal company in the area. There are those that offer to have your tree picked up or even turn it into mulch right outside your home. With either of these services, you would typically need 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 solutions is available in your area, don’t forget to find out all you can about them, including any related fees, before scheduling the service.
If you choose not to use the services offered by the city or by the local waste removal company, or if they don’t have those services offered, it’s not a huge problem. There are many other ways to dispose of a Christmas tree. For starters, you could hire someone to chop your tree up into firewood for you. You can also search online for several organizations that accept donated Christmas trees for use in environmental recovery projects. Find one closest to you. This is a nice option since many of these projects aim to reduce beach erosion or create habitats for wildlife using donated trees.
There is one way that you must never consider, and that is to burn your Christmas tree on the property. It’s only an option if you have a wood-burning fireplace and have had the tree cut into firewood. Otherwise, lighting a dry pine tree on fire is very risky and you may injure yourself or even damage or destroy your Hartford rental property— not to mention all your personal belongings in it.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) warns us that it takes less than 60 seconds for a Christmas tree fire to set an entire house ablaze. Even if you have successfully burned your tree without taking the house with it, there’s a high chance that the fire damaged the yard or other parts of the property. This could result in fines for you or losing your security deposit, at a minimum.
The proper disposal of your Christmas tree is a serious thing. It is a responsibility that shouldn’t be taken lightly. By doing some research you can get the right information to help you choose the best method that gets the job done and keeps you and your rental home safe.
At Real Property Management Greater Milwaukee, we get that your business and personal life demands a lot from you, and you can’t always be on top of everything. Our team of Hartford property managers is ready to help you in that aspect. We take care of all tenant communication, including educating them on important aspects like Christmas tree removal. Contact us or call us at 262-309-6961 today.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
