AUSTIN, TX – Christmas has now come and gone. If you went with a real, natural Christmas tree this year, you might be thinking about what you’re going to do with it once you take it down. The City of Austin has an idea in mind this year to recycle Christmas trees.
The City is giving people the chance to recycle their trees by turning them into mulch or compost. As a result, this would help out the environment as well as the city waste in general. The idea of this program is to keep trees out of landfills. This coincides with the City’s goal of zero waste by the year 2040.
City officials stated in a press release: “For City of Austin curbside customers, recycling Christmas trees is as easy as setting it on the curb. Beginning Dec. 26, Austin Resource Recovery will pick up all natural trees, along with yard trimmings, on regularly scheduled collection days.”
So, there’s not much that residents have to do in order to contribute to the program! Everyone who wants to recycle Christmas trees just needs to prepare their tree for discarding. This means: remove all decorations – the tree stand, lights, ornaments, and any other hangings or non-natural items.
Also, if your tree has been sprayed with any type of artificial snow or other chemical, it won’t be accepted for the program. Additionally, leave your tree bare – don’t put it in a tree bag or other type of holding product.
And, if your tree is over six feet in length, you’ll need to cut it in half before leaving it on the curb. Finally, trees must be set out on the curb by 6:30 in the morning.
But, if you want to bring your tree in person, you can do that as well. Trees will be collected for recycling at Zilker Park Polo Fields between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
This will occur on December 29, December 30, January 5 and January 6. Officials stated: “Mulch from trees collected at the drop-off location will be available on a first-come, first served basis to Austin residents on Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019,”
So, Austinites… give Mother Nature a gift this holiday season and recycle Christmas trees!