SF recycling program lets goats eat your old Christmas tree

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - With Christmas over, it’s time to ditch those decorative trees. While many end up on the curb, in San Francisco there’s one place where you can take your tree to be eaten.

City Grazing, in the city’s Bayview District, is happy to accept your un-flocked, untreated Christmas tree so that their herd of 80 goats can chow down on those discarded conifers.

The SF-based goat landscaping business is partnering with the SF Fire Department for the second year on the tree-recycling program.

“You get to enjoy watching the goats nibble on your Christmas tree. It's a great way to make it full circle,” says Genevieve Church from City Grazing.

Not much is left behind— the goats even gnaw the bark off, leaving just the skeleton of the tree behind. The trees help the goats as a natural de-wormer.

By virtue of being goats they leave behind a beneficial fertilizer. If you’re lucky, you might even see them fight over their delicious holiday treat.

“It is a bit of a feeding frenzy. If they get really excited, they'll shove each other out of the way and they get very enthusiastic about the trees," Church says.

During the rest of the year, the goats make their living clearing brush, backyards and fire hazards around the Bay Area.

“They love their work,” says Church. “They eat for a living.”

You still have time to check out these hungry goats on certain days through January 13th.

Check http://citygrazing.com for full details.