Composting Christmas Trees

SAE:

Collect used Christmas trees and yard trimmings to compost for fertilizer

Description:

During the Christmas season, there is an abundance of spent trees that can be obtained free of charge for the hauling. During the rest of the year there is an abundance of yard trimmings that are available for an industrious student. Many people would be glad to get rid of their Christmas trees and yard trimmings.

Before the gathering process begins, a marketing plan should be developed. To insure that the raw product is available, it would be desirable to have a written agreement with as many landowners as possible. An incentive such as a bag of organic fertilizer free each year would help get more people under contract.

Another source of trimmings would be lawn care businesses and tree expert companies. They should only be too glad to have a location to dump these products at no charge to them.

If the business becomes successful enough, other students can be hired to locate and haul the raw product. This would save time for management and sales.

Factors To Consider	Ranking: 1 = lowest 10 = highest
Time required	5
Investment	5
Equipment needed	5
Skills required	4
Facilities required	5
Land required	9
Labor Intensity	9
Potential for income	5
Transportation required	7
Expansion possibilities	8
Expertise needed	4
Advertising needed	3
Susceptible to disease	1
Susceptible to insects	1
Suitable for residential areas	10
	Other (specify)
Length of production cycle	Flexible
Regional	Statewide
When to start project	Anytime

Notes:

This is a very labor intensive project. Students should understand that the investment in equipment is fairly extensive and it will require a lot of hard work. This would be a good project for several students to undertake as a team. Transportation would be required to get the product to the market. Personal relations skills would be very important in this project.