Yes, you can compost your Christmas tree – but you'll need to do this first if you want it to break down properly

A lit-up real Christmas tree outside a house.

If you’ll be taking your Christmas tree down soon and you opted for a real one this year, you might be wondering the same thing as me: can you compost a Christmas tree?

Well, the short answer is that you can compost a Christmas tree, if you aren’t already recycling it for mulch – but you’ll need to have a few preparations in place first. Sadly, it isn’t a case of sticking your tree on top of the pile and hoping for the best – for one, you’ll need to get chopping if you want it to decompose properly.