There is nothing more a goat loves than to chew on a Christmas tree that was grown in the great outdoors.
With that in mind, the Island Waste Management Corporation has been asking goat farmers to sign up for a program that would see Islanders dispose of their Christmas trees by hauling them to a goat farm.
The corporation is trying to find ways of reducing the number of trees left at curbside once people have taken them down.
Trucks don’t start collecting trees until Jan. 11, and between the time they’re put at the end of the driveway and when the trucks actually get to them, strong winds can blow them into the middle of roads while snow and ice can make it next to impossible to lift them off the ground.
Last year, the corporation picked up about 43 metric tonnes of trees. That’s about 95,000 pounds. By comparison, 42 metric tonnes were picked up in 2019, down from 53 metric tonnes in 2017.
“One of the keys to success for any waste management program is to try to repurpose or use any waste item in the best way possible,’’ said Gerry Moore, CEO of the corporation.
“Donating trees to goat farms is a win-win for everyone. Offering these used trees as a food source to these animals while reducing the need to having them collected and mechanically ground up is an excellent environmental alternative.’’
Moore said another challenge for drivers is that the collection of trees is done after their regular routes are done.
With shorter days during winter months, visibility is an issue. In the dark, trees placed upright in the snow are often mistaken for living trees.
Trees can’t be collected with regular household organics, or even with leaves and twigs during spring cleanup, because they are processed and stored separately at the central compost facility and are hard to separate when combined with other compostables.
Also, homeowners sometimes forget and don’t put the trees out until pickup is over.
The following P.E.I. farms have registered with Island Waste Management Corporation's Christmas tree drop-off program:
• Alexander and Sandy Farm Haven, 4018 St. Mary's Rd., Route 224, Hope River (place trees in front yard).
• Bowman's Farm, 4749 Rennies Rd., Route 13, Hunter River (place trees beside barn).
• Spruce Corner Hobby Farm, 285 Piusville Rd., Route 149, Piusville, (place trees outside the pen).
• Michelle Barbour's Farm, 97 Trainor Rd., Route 148, Roseville (place trees beside barn).
• Beach Goats, 10143 Route 11, St. Chrystotome (place trees outside the fence where the goats are).
• Serenity Mini Farm and Vacation Home, 380 Scentia Rd., Vernon Bridge (place trees at the end of the driveway beside Waste Watch carts).
• Emerald Isle Goat Creamery, 1231 Trans-Canada Highway, Wood Islands (place trees at the end of the business lane)
Flory Sanderson, who owns Island Hill Farm in Hampshire, is one of the goat farms accepting Christmas tree donations.
“My goats love their Christmas treats, and we actually get them year-round,’’ Sanderson said, explaining that people will take branches they’ve trimmed off trees to her farm. “Instead of burning them, they will bring them to us, and the goats will clean up all the branches.’’
Sanderson said these natural trees are a treat for goats.
While a Guardian reporter toured her farm recently, as soon as she grabbed a couple of branches off a pine tree, dozens of goats swarmed around her.
“It’s something they can have, and these guys love it,’’ she told The Guardian. “I don’t really have a wooded area, so (giving them trees) is perfect for them. It would be like us getting a snack we haven’t had in a while. And it digests really well. The trees have lots of nutrients because they are grown outdoors.’’
It’s not just Sanderson’s goats that benefit from the tree donations. While the goats eat the pine needles, her rabbits, alpacas and chickens love to chew and pick at the branches themselves.
This is the sixth year that Sanderson has been accepting Christmas tree donations. In year one, she had about 30 trees dropped off. Last year, the public donated more than 200 trees to her operation.
Sanderson stressed that all of the decorations people place on trees — such as tinsel and ornaments — must be removed from the tree before it is taken to a goat farm.
“And please make sure nothing is sprayed on them. Ask the Christmas tree grower when you pick it up if anything was sprayed on them.’’
Dr. Jill Wood, the chief provincial veterinarian with the Department of Agriculture and Land, said she did some research on feeding Christmas trees to goats and found as long as the trees are not sprayed with flame retardant or pesticides.
“Goats are browsers, so this is the kind thing that they like – bushy shrubs and trees,’’ Wood said. “It’s part of their natural diet.’’
Wood said she gave the corporation her blessing to undertake the Christmas tree initiative with goat farmers, stressing, as Sanderson does, that all decorations must be removed first.
“This is a win-win,’’ the veterinarian said. “It helps get the trees out of the way and it helps goat farmers supplement their goats’ winter-time diet. It’s a form of recycling.’’
Wood said there has not been much research into whether these trees have any nutritional value in terms of minerals or vitamins, but there is no arguing that goats love them.
“It is a normal part of their diet to feast on bushes and shrubs.’’
Wood added that her colleagues in the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal are on board with the initiative as well. The fewer trees blowing onto roadways, the better.
“It’s going to make everyone happy, and I think most people would rather see their tree go (to the goats) than put in the woodchipper.’’
Following are other options for disposing of natural Christmas trees, provided by Island Waste Management Corporation:
• Curbside collection begins on Monday, Jan. 11. Drivers have the entire week to collect trees.
• For curbside collection, trees longer than eight feet or weighing 50 pounds or more must be cut in half.
• Ornaments, wire, tinsel and tree bags must be removed, whether the tree is being left at the curb or being donated to a goat farmer.
• Islanders can self-haul real Christmas trees to a waste watch drop-off centre.
