The holiday season can leave people with all sorts of decorations and displays. Those who use natural trees, wreaths and garlands will be able to recycle.
Monroe County residents can recycle natural-cut holiday trees, garlands and wreaths from Dec. 26 to Jan. 17 by dropping them off at any of the Waste Reduction District’s recycling centers in the county, according to a press release. The recycled trees will be chopped into mulch.
All decorations, such as ornaments, lights, artificial snow, garlands and tinsel, must be removed before dropoff. No artificial trees will be accepted.
Elisa Pokral, county community outreach coordinator for the Waste Reduction District, said this is a way for people to give back to the environment.
“So, when you recycle, whether it's a tree, whether it's certain materials, like plastic, metal, paper, cardboard, etc., you are honoring the Earth,” Pokral said. “You're keeping yourself healthy, your community healthy, and the world healthy. It's our world, our responsibility, right?”
Those who don’t want to recycle natural cut trees can put them into brush piles in their yards, which can serve as a shelter area for wildlife, she said. The tree will decompose and gradually return nutrients to the soil.
People with live trees which have a root ball can plant them or donate them to a park, she said.
“We always need more trees. We need more trees to reduce climate change. We need more trees for wildlife and for ourselves,” Pokral said.
Here is the list of recycling centers:
- The South Walnut Recycling Center, 3400 S. Walnut St. It’s open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
- The Ellettsville Recycling Center, 6200 N. Matthews Dr. It’s open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
- The Westside Recycling Center, 341 N. Oard Rd, off State Road 48, west of 37. It’s open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
- The Southside Recycling Center, 400 W. Dillman Rd., 1/8 mile west of 37. It’s open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
- The Northeast Recycling Center, 6015 E. State Rd. 45, New Unionville, off East Bethel Lane. It’s open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
