Nothing makes the holidays bright like a fresh-cut Christmas tree. The beauty and fragrance of these holidays trees can fill a rental home. It’s like bringing a part of the outdoors into your living room. And when it’s decorated with lights and ornaments, it becomes synonymous with Christmas. However, once the holidays are over, it becomes a bit of a problem. Many Lexington Park tenants have to answer the question: How do I properly dispose of this tree? 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 little snag here is that most dumpsters and general trash pick-ups won’t accept Christmas trees. This means that disposing of it isn’t as simple as tossing it out. What we’re going to do is talk about several safe and legal ways renters can properly dispose of their Christmas trees.
The first thing you should do when disposing of a Christmas tree is to check your city’s website or that of your local waste removal company. These days, cities and towns usually have their own websites that have helpful information for residents. Come the holidays, they usually update the site to include information for specific, city-run programs designed for Christmas tree removal. They do a similar thing for local waste removal companies. The sites may list the local drop-off locations or they may provide curbside pickup or even shred your tree for mulch. It differs from place to place.
If the town provides drop-off locations, then you may have one of the most convenient ways to remove your tree from the property. To find the most convenient location for you, just do a quick internet search. When you’ve determined the location, you can take the tree there. And if you’re considering doing it 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. You may need to make a special request on or before a specific date to be able to benefit from these services. Some may also cost you a little extra on your trash removal bill that month. If either of these two choices is available, don’t forget to gather all the information you can, including any related fees, before scheduling the service.
Outside of the services that your city provides or that of a local waste removal company, there are other options to dispose of a Christmas tree. If you want, you could hire someone to chop your tree up into firewood for you. You can also search for organizations that accept donated Christmas trees for use in environmental recovery projects. The good thing about this option is that many of these projects aim to reduce beach erosion or create habitats for wildlife using donated trees.
One option you must not do is to burn your Christmas tree on the property. You should never even consider this. 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 Lexington Park rental property— not to mention all your personal belongings in it.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reported that it takes less than 60 seconds for a Christmas tree fire to set an entire house ablaze. Even if you do manage to burn your tree without burning down the house, the fire would most likely cause damage to the yard or another part 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 no laughing matter. It should be taken seriously. By doing the proper research and getting the right information, you can select the best method that gets the job done and, at the same time, makes sure you and your rental home stay safe.
At Real Property Management Gold, we understand that you need to deal with all the aspects of life that are pulling you for attention— your business, your family, your friends— and that means you can’t be on top of everything all the time. Our team of Lexington Park property managers is ready to tackle that responsibility. We take care of all tenant communication, including educating them on important aspects like Christmas tree removal. Contact us or call us at 301-392-2172 today.
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