AUSTIN, Texas — Whether you love the long-time Austin tradition or hate it, every year, people go out on Loop 360 to decorate the trees for Christmas.
"I think it's been like, five years," said Manny Reyes, who puts up decorations on the trees with his family. “Every time we pass by, we just like to see our tree."
Some people have used decorating the trees as a way to remember loved ones.
While many see it as a fun tradition, others say it's bad for the environment and worry about the litter that they say could develop.
Austin's Bull Creek Foundation is encouraging Austinites to not decorate the trees this year.
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"Every time that we come and try to take them down, they're already taking it down or it's already like, gone," said Bryanna Reyes, who decorates a tree with her family every year. “It’s fun and all but we also like, think about like – we just don’t wanna leave it down here and be like, 'bye.'”
So, is there a way to make the tradition more eco-friendly?
"We take eco-friendly and sustainability pretty seriously here," said Frances Wethington, a shift manager at Blue Genie Art Bazaar. "A lot of our ornaments and things are from repurposed and upscaled materials."
She said using what nature already gives you is a step in the right direction.
"We recommend using pine cones or birds nests that you find ... using oranges with whole cloves pressed into them is also a great idea," Wethington said. "Keeping things recycled, keeping things secondhand and always making sure you're picking up what you leave."
Organizations like Keep Austin Beautiful have hosted cleanups for the trees in the past. Those happen after the holidays.
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