PEI

Have a Christmas tree to recycle? Try feeding it to a goat

Island Hill Farm owner Flory Sanderson accepts Christmas trees each year to feed to her goats.

'We give them to the goats for treats,' says Island Hill Farm owner Flory Sanderson

Flory Sanderson has a recycling solution for Islanders looking to dispose of their Christmas trees — drop them off at her farm so she can feed them to her 85 goats. (Island Hill Farm/Facebook)

Now that the holiday has passed, Flory Sanderson has an idea for Islanders who don't know what to do with their Christmas trees.

Give them to her 85 goats.

'Makes the barn smell good, too'

"We give them to the goats for treats," said Sanderson, owner of Island Hill Farm in Hampshire, P.E.I.

"It mixes up their diet and helps their ruminant, their digestive system … It can be a natural parasite resistant and, ah, makes the girls happy. Makes the barn smell good, too," she said.

"You wouldn't want it to be their only source of diet. Besides their hay and their grains, they do like the trees."

Sanderson has a spot near her dairy barn where people can drop off trees. 

In the couple of days since Christmas, Sanderson has received four trees. In previous years, she has received as many as 65.

No decorations please

Most people don't take their Christmas tree down until the New Year, she explained. 

"We'll accept them all season long," Sanderson said. "It's fun for [the goats] and it makes them less bored. They're just happier."

Sanderson has a reminder for anyone wanting to drop off Christmas trees.

"Please make sure all the decorations are taken off."

With files from Krystalle Ramlakhan